^  Public  Parks: 


THEIR    EFFECTS    UPON     THE    MORAL.    PHYSICAL    AND 

SANITARY  CONDITION   OF   THE   INHABITANTS 

OF   LARGE    CITIES; 


WITH     SPECIAL     REFERENCE     TO     THE 


CITY    OF    CHICAGO 


By  JOHN   H.    RAUCH,   M.  D. 

Mkmber  of  the  Board  of  Health,  Sanitary  Superintendent,  and 
Registrar  of  Vital  Statistics,  of  Chicago. 


1S69  : 
S.    C.    GRIGGS    &    COMPA'NY, 
Chicago. 


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Public  Parks  : 


THEIR    EFFECTS    UPON     THE    MORAL.    PHYSICAL    AND 

SANITARY  CONDITION   OF   THE   INHABITANTS 

OF   LARGE    CITIES; 


WITH     SPECIAL      REFERENCE     TO     THE 


CITY    OF    CHICAGO 


«v^ 


By  JOHN   H.    RAUCH,   M.  D. 

Member  of  the  Board  of  Health,  Sanitary  Superintendent,  and 
Registrar  of  Vital  Statistics,  of  Chicago. 


1869  : 

S.    C.    GRIGGS    &    COMPANY, 

Chicago. 


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At  a  meeting  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  held 
November  loth,   i86S,  the  following  resolution  was  passed  : 

"  Resolved,  that  Dr.  John  H.  Rauch  be  requested,  at  his 
"  earliest  convenience,  to  prepare  a  paper  on  Public  Parks,  to  be 
"  read  before  the  Academv." 


■N 


Digitized  by  tlie  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2010  witli  funding  from 

CARL!:  Consortium  of  Academic  and  Researcli  Libraries  in  Illinois 


http://www.archive.org/details/publicparkstheirOOinrauc 


Public  Parks. 


In  compliance  with  the  resohition  of  the  Academy,  I  propose 
this  evening  to  call  your  attention  to  the  question  of  Public  Parks, 
and  their  influence  upon  the  moral,  physical,  and  sanitary  condition 
of  the  inhabitants  of  great  cities.  The  benefits  resulting  from  such 
dedications  to  public  uses,  have  been  known  and  appreciated  by  all 
civilized  nations.  And  in  this  connection  I  trust  that  it  will  not  be 
deemed  out  of  place,  if  I  give  a  brief  sketch  of  what  has  been  done 
in  other  cities,  both  ancient  and  modern,  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
with  a  view  of  adornment,  and  of  affording  to  the  inhabitants, 
not  only  agreeable  places  of  resort,  but  pi^oving  efficient  aids  in 
promoting  public  health. 

At  no  period  in  the  history  of  this  city  has  this  question  excited 
so  much  attention  as  at  the  present  time  ;  and  it  is  with  feelings  of 
the  deepest  responsibility  that  I  enter  upon  the  consideration  of  the 
subject,  not  alone  as  a  member  of  this  Academy,  but  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  as  a  private  citizen,  deeply 
interested  in  the  future  growth  and  welfare  of  Chicago.  In  treating 
of  this  subject,  I  lay  no  special  claim  to  originality,  but  I  shall  simply 
state  facts,  allowing  you  to  draw  your  own  conclusions  ;  while,  at 
the  same  time,  I  shall  apply  well-established  laws  and  principles, 
which  are  necessary  to  the  proper  elucidation  of  this  question  in 
connection  with  the  climate,  topography,  and  diseases  of  this  city. 

The  necessit}^  for  creating  public  parks,  and  on  a  scale  commen- 
surate with  the  prospective  greatness  of  the  city,  is  recognized  by  all 
classes  of  our  citizens,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  action  of  those 
who  are  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  selecting  the  locations, 
devising  the  plans,  and  providing  the  means  for  securing  these 
results,  may  prove  wise  and  judicious,  and  thus  receive  the  commen- 
dations of  posterity. 

"  Best  is  Pelasgicura  empty," 

was  wisely  expressed  by  the  Pythian  oracle,  thereby  denoting  that 
every  large  and  populous  city,  as  well  as  Athens,  should  have  its 


6  Public  Parks.  * 

Pelasgicum,or  vacant  pieces  of  ground,  serving  as  so  many  reser\^oirs 
of  pure  air,  for  counteracting  the  contaminating  atmospheric  influ- 
ences incident  to  cities,  and  the  effect  of  epidemics  and  contagions. 
In  order  more  thoroughly  to  appreciate  the  full  import  of  these 
words,  it  may  be  proper  to  refer  to  the  circumstances  from  vs^hich 
they  derive  their  origin.  According  to  Pausanius,  Pelasgicum  was 
the  name  given  to  the  most  ancient  part  of  the  fortifications  of  the 
Acropolis  at  Athens,  from  having  been  constructed  by  the  Pelasgii, 
(or  "wall  builders,"  as  they  were  called,)  who,  in  the  course  of  their 
migi'ations,  settled  in  Attica,  and  were  employed  by  the  Athenians 
in  the  erection  of  these  walls.  The  rampart  raised  by  this  people, 
often  mentioned  in  the  history  of  Athens,  included  a  portion  of  the 
ground  below  the  wall,  at  the  foot  of  the  rock  of  Acropolis.  This 
had  been  allotted  to  the  Pelasgii  while  they  resided  at  Athens,  and 
owing  to  the  conspiracy  formed  by  them  against  the  Athenians,  they 
were  banished ;  and  such  was  the  abhorrence  with  which  this  con- 
spiracy was  regarded,  that  an  execration  was  pronounced  on  any 
who  should  build  houses  on  this  ground.  In  consequence  of  this 
execration,  it  was  not  built  upon  ;  and  thus  being  necessarily  left 
vacant,  the  beneficial  effects  of  this  open  space  in  the  course  of  time 
became  so  apparent  that  the  Pythian  oracle  uttered, 

"  Best  is  Pelasgicum  empty;" 

and  what  was  supposed,  at  the  time,  to  have  been  a  great  curse, 
proved  ultimately  to  be  a  blessing  in  disguise. 

May  not  such  be  the  case  with  regard  to  our  own  city?  We 
have  already  built  up  its  surface  from  a  morass,  thus  securing  a  well- 
devised  system  of  drainage,  and  it  is  believed,  and  I  think  I  am  not 
stating  too  much,  that,  by  making  use  of  our  local  topography,  we 
can  create  parks  which  shall  become  the  ornament  of  the  city,  and 
a  blessing  to  its  inhabitants. 

Parks  have  been  aptly  termed  "the  lungs  of  a  city."  They  are 
emphatically  the  people's  gardens, — places  to  which  the  overtasked 
laborer  and  mechanic  of  the  overcrowded  city  can,  with  his  wife  and 
children,  resort  to  breathe  the  breath  of  God's  pure  air,  inhale  the 
odors  of  fresh,  blooming  flowers,  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  a  rural 
retreat  on  a  larger  scale,  amid  far  richer  vegetable  forms,  than  in 
the  gardens  created  by  mere  private  opulence. 

That  the  people  of  this  country  have  a  keen  love  of  nature,  and  of 
the  beautiful  in  art,  is  evidenced  by  the  general  interest  taken  in  this 


Public  Parks.  7 

subject,  and  the  success  which  has  attended  the  laying  out  of  the 
Central,  Fairmomit,  Prospect,  Druid  Hill,  and  other  parks  in  this 
country.  This  feeling  is  extending,  and  as  the  squares  which  are 
found  in  nearly  all  our  cities  no  longer  satisfy  the  longings  of  the 
inhabitants,  who  now  demand  the  laying  out  of  hundi'eds  of  acres 
in  a  style  proportionate  to  the  hopes  and  expectations  of  the  future 
of  the  locality.  The  immense  throng  that  daily  resort  to  such  places, 
—  not  simply  the  millionaire,  or  the  aristocratic  merchant,  but  the 
laborer,  the  mechanic,  and  those  from  the  humblest  walks  of  life, 
coupled  with  the  decorousness  of  their  behaviour,  and  their  cheerful 
compliance  with  the  necessary  regulations,  —  all  attest  the  popu- 
larity and  beneficial  influence  of  such  dedications.  Can  we  not 
have  such  resorts  in  Chicago  ? 

It  is  true  that  we  have  not  that  relief  and  depression  of  soil,  of 
ledgy  rock  and  deep  valley,  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  Central  and 
other  parks  of  this  country  ;  but  we  can  have  ample  drives,  graveled 
walks,  fountains,  lakes,  and  all  the  forms  of  vegetable  and  animal 
life  which  have  been  acclimated  in  our  latitude.  We  can  have  parks 
which  shall  be  the  ornament  and  pride  of  the  city ;  where,  by  easy 
access,  our  people  can  enjoy  the  beauties  of  nature,  and  all  the 
pleasures  of  landscape  gardening. 

If  we  analyze  the  sources  of  our  happiness,  we  shall  find  that  they 
are  reducible  to  two — external  and  internal ;  but  while  it  is  from  the 
external  world  that  we  derive  all  our  ideas,  the  office  of  reflection 
and  of  imagination  is  performed  in  the  interior  world  of  thought. 
Man,  however  much  he  may  boast  of  the  superiority  of  mind  over 
matter,  is  as  sensitive  to  external  changes  as  the  barometer  is  to  those 
of  the  atmosphere.  A  pleasing  landscape  or  a  bright  sunshine 
exhilerates  his  spirits,  while  a  dreary  waste,  or  a  leaden  sky  pro- 
duces depression.  We  associate  these  ideas  of  external  nature  with 
our  present  sources  of  happiness  or  misery,  and  carry  them  into  our 
conceptions  of  a  future  state. 

Hence,  in  every  age,  and  among  every  nation,  whether  Christian 
or  Pagan,  who  have  made  any  progress  in  intellectual  development, 
the  idea  of  Paradise  has  been  one  not  purely  of  mental  culture,  of 
converse  and  friendship,  but  one  in  which  the  sensuous  nature  was 
largely  to  participate. 

Milton  has  described  the  abode  of  our  first  parents  as  a  combina- 
tion  of    sensuous   delights,   with  a  gorgeousness    of  word-painting 


8  Public  Parks. 

which  has  never  been  surpassed.  —  trees  of  noblest  kind,  amid  which 
stood  the  "  Tree  of  Life," 

"  High,  eininent,  blooming  ambrosial  fruits  of  vegetable  gold  ;  " 

fresh  fountains,  watering  with  many  a  rill,  flowers  worthy  of 
Paradise,  and 

"  Rolling  on  Orient  pearl ;  " 

groves  whose  trees  wept  odorous  gums  and  balms ;  lawns,  and 
palmy  hillocks,  and  flocks  grazing  the  herb  ;  and 

"  Flowers  of  all  hue,  and  without  thorn  the  rose ;  " 

umbrageous  grottos,  and  caves  of  cool  recess,  o'erarched  with 
mantling  vine  ;  murmuring  waters  falling  down  the  hill-slope,  with 
banks  myrtle-crowned  ;  birds  making  vocal  the  woods  ;  and  vernal 
air  breathing  the  smell  of  field  and  grove.  Such  was  deemed  the  fit 
residence  of  our  great  progenitors  before  the  Fall. 

The  Elysium  of  the  ancients  was  a  union  of  leafy  bowers,  flowery 
meads,  and  murmuring  brooks,  fanned  by  a  genial  air,  and  lighted 
by  another  sun  and  other  stars. 

Mahomet,  while  creating  a  voluptuous  paradise,  has  brought  in 
as  accessories,  groves,  fountains,  and  rivers  of  bliss ;  and  Christian 
congregations  do  not  hesitate  to  join  with  fervor  in  singing  that 
beautiful  hymn, 

"  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood, 
Stand  dressed  in  living  green." 

These  examples  show  how  intimately  the  forms  of  external 
nature  are  associated,  not  only  with  our  happiness  here,  but  here- 
after ;  and  how  deeply  they  are  impressed  upon  man,  whether  in  a 
savage  or  civilized  state. 

From  the  earliest  period  of  history,  a  love  of  nature  and  landscape 
gardening  has  been  fostered  and  encouraged  in  the  same  ratio  as 
civilization  has  advanced.  The  Jews  and  Egyptians  had  their  gar- 
dens ;  and  Nebuchadnezzar,  to  gratify  his  wife  Amytis,  a  daughter 
of  the  king  of  Medea,  who  was  home-sick,  and  longed  for  the  pictur- 
esque scenery  and  mountains  of  her  native  land,  constructed  the 
famous  hanging  gardens  of  Babylon.  The  captive  Jews,  Phoenicians, 
Syrians,  and  Egyptians  were  engaged  for  years  in  building  such 
works ;  and,  according  to  Diodorus  and  Strabo,  nothing  had  been 
attempted  prior  to  their  time  to  compare,  in  magnificence  and 
grandeur,  with  what  was  then  accomplished.  Among  the  ruins  of 
Ninevah,  Layard  found  traces  of  gardens  ;  also,  a  large  tree,  which, 
from  its  surroundings,  he  inferred  had  been  an  object  of  adoration. 


Public  Parks.  9 

The  Chinese  paid  considerable  attention  to  the  ornamenting  of 
their  gardens,  and  at  one  time  their  attempts  at  landscape  gardening 
were  more  successful  than  those  of  any  other  nation.  To  them  may 
be  traced  what  is  now  called  the  natural  system,  so  much  in  vogue 
in  England,  and  which  has  been  generally  adopted  in  this  country. 

A  deep  love  of  nature  pervaded  the  minds  of  the  Hindoos,  as  is 
manifest  in  their  public  grounds  and  gai"dens.  There  was  nothing 
striking  in  the  gardens  of  the  Persians,  no  doubt  owing  to  the  want  of 
grand  and  natural  scenery.  They  were  regarded  as  places  of  luxurious 
repose,  and  were  constructed  wholly  in  reference  to  this  end.  Trees 
were  planted  in  rows,  in  order  that  the  wind  might  draw  its  currents 
through  them  ;  fountains  were  interposed,  and  streams  ran  through 
them  to  increase  the  sensation  of  coolness.  Flowers  were  cultivated 
for  perfume  and  beauty,  with  here  and  there  a  terebinthinate  ever- 
green, which  was  regarded  by  them  as  a  great  luxury.  These 
gardens  were  genei'ally  surrounded  by  an  enclosure. 

"  The  Greeks,"  according  to  Humboldt,  "  regarded  the  vegetable 
world  as  standing  in  a  manifold  and  mythical  relation  to  heroes  and 
to  the  gods,  who  were  supposed  to  avenge  every  injury  inflicted  on 
the  ti'ees  and  plants  sacred  to  them.  Imagination  animated  vegetable 
forms  with  life,  but  the  types  of  poetry,  to  which  the  peculiar 
direction  of  mental  activity  among  the  ancient  Greeks  limited  them, 
gave  only  partial  development  to  natural  scenery."*  Homer,  Pinder, 
Sophocles,  and  Euripedes  occasionally  indulge  in  descriptions  of 
nature. 

Their  ideas  of  landscape  gardening,  while  derived  from  the  Per- 
sians, were  much  improved  upon.  They  encouraged  art  more  than 
nature.  Athens  had  its  public  park,  called  Academia.  It  was  laid 
out  by  Cimon,  who  formed  pleasant  walks,  introduced  water  and 
planted  groves.  At  the  entrance  an  altar  dedicated  to  Love  was 
placed,  and  scattered  through  the  grounds  were  statues  and  monu- 
ments of  the  most  worthy  citizens.  One  portion  of  this  park  was 
devoted  to  the  exercise  of  athletic  games,  and  another  to  contempla- 
tive recreation.  Greek  civilization  made  its  impress  on  the  Romans, 
and  in  many  respects  they  were  similar,  showing  that  their  love  of 
nature  was  not  entirely  lost  sight  of  by  their  love  of  art.  Cicero  and 
Pliny  delighted  in  descriptions  of  nature  ;  and  in  the  poetic  works  of 
Virgil,  Horace,  and  Tibullus,  frequent  allusions  to  natural  scenery 
occur.  Lucan  gives  an  admirable  description  of  the  desti-uction  of 
a   Druidic  forest  on  the  now  treeless  shores  of  Marseilles.      Rome, 

*"  Cosmos." 


lo  Public  Parks. 

when  in  her  glory,  was  proud  of  her  rural  retreats  and ..  pleasure 
grounds,  which  were  laid  out  with  walks  and  drives  for  chariot  and 
horseback  exercises,  with  enclosures  for  wild  beasts,  apiaries,  flower- 
gardens,  and  fountains  flowing  from  marble  vases.  The  park  proper, 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  houses,  was  formal  and  symmetrical 
with  the  architecture,  and  the  walls  were  lined  with  box  and  plane 
trees,  sheared  to  the  shape  of  the  walls.  From  the  description  of  the 
younger  Pliny  of  his  Tusculan  villa,  we  are  led  to  infer  that  the 
principal  object  of  Roman  landscape  gardening  was  its  effect  upon 
the  perspective  ;  as  here  everything  was  arranged  with  reference  to 
the  best  distant  views  of  the  Campagna.  In  fact  the  same  is  the  case 
with  the  grounds  and  gardens  of  Italy  at  the  present  day,  the  artistic 
preponderating  over  the  natural. 

The  Arabs,  when  at  the  height  of  power  and  civilization,  paid 
some  attention  to  landscape  gardening,  and  carried  w^ith  them  their 
tastes  into  Spain.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  Caliph  Ab 
durrahman  I,  himself  laid  out  a  botanical  garden  at  Cordova,  a;nd 
caused  rare  seeds  to  be  collected  by  his  own  travelers  in  Syria  and 
other  countries  of  Asia.  He  planted,  near  the  palace  of  Rissafah, 
the  first  date-tree  known  in  Spain,  and  sang  its  praises  in  a  poem, 
expressive  of  plaintive  longing  for  his  native  Damascus. 

Prescott,  in  his  "Conquest  of  Mexico,"  says,  "There  is  no  doubt, 
from  the  accordant  testimonies  of  Hernan  Cortes,  in  his  reports  to 
the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  of  Bernal  Diaz,  Gomara  Ovieda,  and 
Hernandez,  that  at  the  time  of  the  conquest  of  Montezuma's  Empire 
there  were  no  menageries  and  botanic  gardens  In  any  part  of  Europe, 
which  could  be  compared  with  these  of  Huaztepec,  Chepultepec, 
Iztapalapan,  and  Tezuco."  Humboldt  saw  two  trees  ( Taxodiutn 
disticha — Linn.)  near  Chepultepec,  which  he  supposed  to  be  the 
remnants  of  an  ancient  garden  or  pleasure-ground  of  Montezuma's, 
which  measured  thirty-eight  feet  In  circumference. 

In  France,  Germany,  and  England,  landscape  gardening  received 
but  little  attention  for  many  years,  and  their  imitations  of  the  Roman 
and  Italian  styles  were  poor,  leaving  but  little  of  the  artistic.  The 
Dutch  school  at  one  time  was  foremost.  It  was  a  revival  of  the 
ancient  or  geometric  style,  in  which  statues,  vases,  and  busts  were 
interspersed  with  fountains,  and  the  various  forms  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom. 

Landscape  gardening  is  a  word  of  modern  coinage,  first  used  by 
the  poet  Shenstone.     In  England  but  little  attention  was  paid  to  the 


Public  Parks,  ii 

art  of  gardening  until  the  time  of  Addison,  when  Bridgeman,  the 
court  gardener,  in  the  palace  grounds  at  Kensington,  acted  upon  the 
suggestions  received  from  the  descriptions  of  travelers  of  the  imita- 
tions of  nature  w^hich  the  Chinese  made  use  of  in  their  gardens. 
Pope,  in  his  garden  at  Twickenham,  laid  aside  formality,  imitating 
the  natural.  Addison's  garden  at  Rugby  was  informal  without 
being  picturesque.  "  Kent  was  the  first  man  who  really  formed  a 
landscape,  sweeping  away  the  rubbish  which  represented  the  ancient 
st3de.  He  undertook  the  creation  of  scenery  upon  the  ground  at  his 
command,  on  the  same  principles  that  he  would  select  a  subject  in 
nature  for  his  canvas.  The  radical  change  which  followed  witnessed 
the  destruction  of  noble  avenues  and  terraces  by  the  imitators  of 
Kent,  in  order  to  demonstrate  the  capabilities  of  the  ground,  and 
landscape  gardening  soon  became  a  mechanical  business  instead  of 
an  art,  which  Kent  had  made  it."  * 

It  was  not  until  after  the  publication,  by  Gilpin,  of  his  various 
"Picturesque  Views,"  and  the  "Essays  on  the  Picturesque,"  by  Sir 
Uvedale  Price,  in  which  the  true  principle  of  art  applicable  to  the 
creation  of  scenery,  was  laboriously  studied  and  carefully  defined, 
that  a  revival  of  the  art  took  place.  The  poetry  of  Shenstone, 
Mason,  and  Knight  assisted  in  bringing  about  this  result.  The 
most  distinguished  English  landscape  gardeners  that  have  flourished 
since  the  commencement  of  the  last  century,  have  been  Humphrey 
Repton,  who  died  in  iSi8,  and  John  Claudius  Loudon,  who  died 
in  1843.  They  developed  and  carried  to  its  greatest  perfection  the 
modern  or  natural  style  of  landscape  gardening,  as  is  evidenced  at 
Blenheim,  the  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  ;  Chatsworth,  the 
seat  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  where  there  are  scenes  illustrative 
of  almost  every  style  of  the  art ;  and  also  at  Woburn  Abbey ; 
Ashbridge  ;  and  Arundel  Castle.  More  recently  the  writings  of 
Paxton  and  Kemp  have  done  much  to  improve  and  foster  this  taste 
among  the  English.  Soon  after  the  adoption  of  the  natural  style  in 
England,  it  became  fashionable  upon  the  Continent;  "yet,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  many  of  the  capitals,  especially  those  of  the  south 
of  Europe,  the  taste  for  the  geometric  or  ancient  style  prevails  to  a 
considerable  extent ;  partially,  no  doubt,  because  that  style  admits, 
with  more  facility,  of  those  classical  and  architectural  accompani- 
ments of  vases,  statues,  busts,  etc.,  the  passion  for  which  pervades 
a  people  rich  in  ancient  and  modern  sculptural  works  of  art. 
Indeed,   many  of  the  gardens  on  the  Continent  are  moi^e  striking 

•Downing:    ^^  Landscape  Gardening^ 


12  '         Public  Parks. 

from  their  numerous  sculpturesque  ornaments,  interspersed  with 
fountains  and  jets  d'  eati,  than  for  the  beauty  or  rarity  of  their 
vegetation,  or  from  their  arrangement."* 

The  name  Park  is  derived  from  the  French  parg?ie,  pare, 
{i.  e.,  a  loe2cs  inclusus,)  formerly  a  large  quantity  of  ground  inclosed 
and  privileged  for  the  keeping  of  beasts  of  the  chase,  particularly  the 
deer,  by  the  King's  grant  or  prescription.  These  grants  were  made 
by  the  kings  of  England  to  the  nobles  ;  and  as  the  country  became 
populated,  these  parks  were  selected  as  residences,  and  in  the  course 
of  time  were  considered  as  luxurious  appendages  to  the  dwellings  of 
the  I'ich. 

The  word  park  has  different  significations,  but  that  in  which 
we  are  now  interested  has  grown  out  of  its  application,  centuries 
ago,  simply  to  hunting  grounds  ;  the  choicest  lands  for  such  pur- 
poses being  those  in  which  the  beasts  of  the  chase  thrived  best,  and 
consequently  were  most  abundant.  Sites  were  chosen,  in  which  it 
was  easy  for  them  to  turn  from  rich  herbage  to  clear  water,  from 
warm  sunlight  to  cool  shade  ;  that  is  to  say,  by  preference,  ranges  of 
well-watered  dale-land,  broken  by  open  groves,  and  dotted  with 
spreading  trees,  undulating  in  surface,  but  not  rugged.  In  some 
parts  of  Britain  the  word  park  is  still  employed  in  its  original  sense — 
to  denote  a  field  or  enclosure  ;  but  more  generally  applied  to  the 
enclosed  grounds  around  a  mansion,  designated  in  Scotland  by 
another  term  of  French  origin — policy.  The  park,  in  this  sense,  not 
only  includes  the  lawn,  but  all  that  is  devoted  to  the  growth  of 
timber,  pasturage  for  deer,  sheep,  etc.,  in  connection  with  the 
mansion,  and  to  pleasure  walks  or  drives,  or  to  purposes  of  enjoy- 
ment, in  contradistinction  to  those  of  economical  use.  Gay  parties 
of  pleasure  occasionally  met  in  these  parks,  and  when  these  meetings 
occurred,  the  enjoyment  otherwise  obtained  in  them  was  found  to  be 
increased.  Hence,  instead  of  mere  hunting-lodges  and  hovels  for 
game-keepers,  extensive  buildings  and  accommodations,  devoted 
frequently  to  festive  purposes,  were,  after  a  time,  provided  within  the 
enclosures.  Then  it  was  found  that  people  took  pleasure  in  them 
without  regard  to  the  attractions  of  the  chase,  or  of  conversation  ; 
and  this  pleasure  was  perceived  to  be,  in  some  degree,  related  to  the 
scenery,  and  in  some  degree  to  the  peculiar  manner  of  appreciation 
which  occurred  in  them  ;  and  this  was  also  found  to  be  independent 
of  intellectual  gifts,  tranquilizing  and  restorative  to  the  powers  most 
tasked  in  ordinary  social  duties,  and  stimulating  only  in  a   healthy 

♦Downing:  "  Landscafie  Gardening;." 


Public  Parks.  13 

and  recreative  way  to  the  imagination.  Hence,  after  a  time,  parks 
began  to  be  regarded,  and  to  be  maintained  with  reference,  more  than 
to  anything  else,  to  the  convenient  accommodations  of  numbers  of 
people,  desirous  of  moving  for  recreation  among  scenes  that  should 
be  gratifying  to  the  taste  or  imagination.  Hagley  Park,  for  many 
years,  was  considered  the  finest  in  England,  although  there  are  many 
there  now  much  handsomer,  averaging  from  one  to  five  miles  in 
diameter ;  and  many  of  them  are  open  to  the  public  with  slight 
restrictions.  As  the  power  of  the  people  has  increased  the  Royal 
Parks  have  been  more  adapted  to  their  wants. 

In  the  present  century,  not  only  have  the  old  parks  been  thus 
maintained  and  improved,  but  many  new  parks  have  been  formed 
exclusively  for  the  purposes  of  recreation,  enjoyment,  and  health, 
especially  within  and  adjoining  considerable  towns ;  and  it  is  upon 
our  knowledge  of  the  latter  that  our  simplest  conception  of  a  town 
park  is  founded.* 

Nearly  all  the  towns,  villages,  and  cities  have  their  pleasure- 
grounds  in  some  form,  or  private  parks  open  to  them.  In  addition, 
all  have  their  cricket-grounds  and  commons,  where  the  old  meet  to 
gossip,  and  the  young  to  indulge  in  various  athletic  games. 


PARKS    OF    GREAT    BRITAIN. 

The  public  parks  of  London  are  Kensington  Garden,  262  acres  ; 
Hyde  Park,  3S9  acres  ;  Green  Park,  55  acres  ;  St.  James  Park,  59 
acres  (all  of  which  are  connected  in  a  chain,  though  partly  sepa- 
rated) ;  Regent's  Park  and  Primrose  Hill,  473  acres  ;  Battersea  Park, 
175  acres  ;  and  Kensington  Park  containg  55  acres. 

The  Royal  Parks  in  the  vicinity  of  London  are  also  much  resorted 
to  : — Windsor,  3,800  acres  ;  Hampton  Court  and  Burley,  1,812  acres  ; 
Richmond,  2,468  acres ;  and  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew,  684  acres. 
Epping  Forest  and  others  are  easily  reached,  making  3,000  acres  in 
the  city,  and  about  11,000  in  the  vicinity  that  are  open  to  the  public. 

The  grounds  of  the  Horticultural  Society  and  the  Crystal  Palace 
are  open  to  the  public  for  a  small  entrance  fee.  Victoria  Park  is 
among  the  most  frequented  ;  here  130,000  visitors  have  been  counted 
in  one  day.  The  fashionable  drive  of  London  is  the  Ring-Road,  in 
Hyde  Park,  three  miles  long  and  from  twenty-seven  to  sixty  feet 
wide  ;  and  another  of  a  mile  long  and  thirty-six  feet  wide.  The 
fashionable  riding  avenue  is  in  this  park,  and  is  ninety  feet  wide  and 

•  Olmsted. 


14  Public  Parks. 

a  mile  in   length.     There  is  not  much  room  for  riding  or  driving  in 
the  other  parks. 

PhoBnix  Park,  in  Dublin,  contains  1,752  acres,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  natural  parks  in  the  world,  but  is  not  well  laid  out  or  well 
kept.  Birkenhead  Park,  near  Liverpool  contains  182  acres,  designed 
and  constructed  by  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  and  Mr.  Kemp,  and  is  one  of 
the  best  laid  out  and  most  complete,  for  its  age,  in  Europe.  Several 
new  ones  have  been  laid  out,  with  villa  districts  about  them,  con- 
nected by  broad  pleasure  drives,  upon  which,  in  1867,  $1,640,000 
were  expended. 

Birmingham  has  a  park  recently  laid  out,  where  an  entrance  fee 
of  a  penny  is  charged,  by  which  funds  are  raised  to  defray  the 
expenses  incident  to  its  purchase  and  maintenance.  As  soon  as 
paid  for,  admission  will  be  free.  Halifax  has  fine  parks,  Derby  and 
Arboretum,  both  of  which  were  provided  by  benevolent  citizens. 
Manchester,  Bradford,  and  other  manufacturing  towns  have  recently 
laid  out  parks,  the  result  of  subscriptions  or  joint-stock  companies 
Public  promenades  are  common  in  England,  among  which  may  be 
cited  the  old  city  walls  and  the  river  bank  above  the  town  of  Chester, 
the  common  and  old  castle  grounds  at  Ludlow,  the  castle  garden  and 
cathedral  grounds  at  Hereford,  the  river  banks  at  Lincoln,  and  the 
cathedral  green  at  Salisbuiy  and  Winchester. 


PARKS  ON  THE  CONTINENT. 

The  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  with  the  Champs  Elysees,  in  Paris, 
makes  the  finest  urban  promenade  in  the  world.  In  the  centre  is  an 
avenue  of  horse  chestnuts  three  miles  in  length.  On  either. side,  in 
the  gardens,  are  groves,  shrubberies,  and  parterres  of  flowers.  The 
garden  of  the  Luxembourg  is  another  interior  promenade  laid  out  in 
formal  style,  with  an  avenue,  groves,  flower  beds,  and  a  rose  garden 
of  a  mile  in  circumference.  The  gardens  of  the  Louvre  are  also  very 
fine.  There  are  also  many  other  gardens  and  squares  in  Paris. 
Many  of  the  streets  are  planted  with  trees.  Some  of  the  boulevards 
are  the  levelled  ramparts  planted  with  trees.  The  boulevards 
exterieurs  are  an  interupted  series  of  broad  streets,  of  an  aggregate 
length  of  seventeen  miles,  lined  with  trees. 

The  avenue  de  L'  Imperatrice  is  a  straight  promenade  between 
Paris  and  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  three  hundred  feet  wide.  It  con- 
sists of  a  carriage  way  sixty  feet  wide,  a  pad  for  saddle  horses,  and 


Public  Parks.  15 

a  graveled  walk  on  either  side,  each  forty  feet  wide  ;  on  the  outside 
of  all  is  a  slope  of  turf,  planted  in  the  rear  with  a  group  of  trees  and 
shrubs  in  the  natural  style  ;  back  of  this,  on  both  sides,  is  a  narrow 
I'oad  adapted  to  traffic,  which  also  gives  access  to  a  line  of  detached 
villas. 

The  famous  Bois  de  Boulogne  is  an  ancient  royal  forest  in  the 
suburbs  of  Paris.  It  remained  nearly  in  its  natural  state  until  1855, 
when  Napoleon  III.  commenced  its  improvement,  and  this  work  is 
now  regarded  as  one  of  his  most  popular  acts.  It  contains  2,158 
acres,  thus  divided  :  wood,  607  acres  ;  open  turf,  875  acres  ;  water, 
174  acres;  roads,  365  acres;  nurseries  and  flower-beds,  171  acres; 
length  of  carriage  road,  36  miles  ;  bridle  path,  7  miles  ;  and  walks, 
16  miles.  The  Bois  de  Vincennes  is  a  natural  forest,  the  improve- 
ment of  which  was  commenced  several  years  ago,  but  discontinued, 
and  is  now  chiefly  used  for  reviewing  troops  and  for  artillery- 
purposes.  Work  has  recently  been  commenced  on  it  again.  Men- 
ceau  and  Buttes  de  Chaumont  are  new  parks,  which  are  very 
popular — the  last  being  quite  unique  in  design.  The  Jardin  des 
Plants,  a  zoological  as  well  as  botanical  garden,  near  Paris,  is  much 
frequented. 

At  Frankfort,  Leipsic,  and  Vienna,  pleasure  grounds  have  been 
provided  by  razing  the  wall,  and  filling  the  moat,  and  by  the  skillful 
arrangement  of  the  materials,  making  the  ground-work  of  a  garden 
in  the  natural  style.  In  other  cities  the  leveled  ramparts  have  been 
made  into  broad  roads,  bordered  with  trees.  The  Boulevards  of 
Brussels  are  straight  streets,  125  feet  wide,  with  rows  of  trees 
between  them,  a  walk  21  feet  wide  ;  carriage-road,  36  feet  wide  ;  a 
soft  graveled  horseback  road,  21  feet  wide  ;  a  business  road,  30  feet 
wide,  with  a  flagged  walk  for  rainy  weather.  Houses  are  on  these 
boulevards,  in  front  of  which  are  private  gardens,  or  fore-courts. 
Brussels  has  also  an  old  park,  and  two  botanical  and  zoological 
gardens. 

The  Prater  is  the  principal  rural  promenade  at  Vienna,  and  has 
a  straight  carriage-road  over  a  mile  in  length,  with  a  walk  on  one 
side,  and  an  equestrian  pad  on  the  other.  Near  the  city  it  contains 
a  great  number  of  coffee  and  play  houses  ;  but  being  five  miles  in 
length,  portions  of  it  are  thoroughly  secluded  and  rural.  At  one 
time  it  was  the  most  frequented  park  in  the  world,  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne  and  the  Central  Park  being  more  frequented  at  this  time. 


1 6  .  Public  Parks. 

Munich  has  its  Hofgarten,  or  Royal  Park,  and  the  English  gar- 
den which  was  laid  out  under  the  direction  of  Count  Rumford,  and 
is  about  four  miles  long,  and  a  half  mile  wide.  The  Sonnenstrasse 
in  this  city  is  a  beautiful  street — in  fact  one  of  the  handsomest  in 
Europe. 

The  Thiergarten,  at  Berlin,  contains  over  200  acres,  laid  out  in 
straight  drives  and  walks.  The  Prussian  Royal  Gardens  of  Sans 
Souci,  Charlottenberg,  and  Heiligensee,  are  extensive  grounds, 
though  rather  stiff'  and  formal  in  appearance.  Fine  public  grounds 
are  also*  to  be  found  in  Dresden,  Stuttgart,  Hanover,  Brunswick, 
Baden,  Cassel,  Darmstadt,  Gotha,  Weimar,  SchwcEtzingen,  Toplitz, 
Prague,  and  Hamburg.  Those  of  Antwei-p,  the  Hague,  and  War- 
saw are  remai-kable  for  their  beauty.  In  all  German  public  gardens, 
coffee-houses  are  an  adjunct,  and  music  is  furnished  by  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  summer  gardens  of  St.  Petersburgh  are  very  fine,  though 
not  large,  and  are  kept  in  the  most  careful  manner.  Among  these 
is  the  Catherinehoft',  a  perfect  gem,  and  the  fashionable  promenade 
of  the  city.  Many  of  the  islands  of  the  Neva  contain  pleasant 
gardens,  and  the  Tzenskoe  Selo  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the 
world.  It  is  the  residence  of  the  Imperial  family,  and  consists  of 
350  acres. 

Stockholm  has  many  pleasant  walks,  and  the  Djingard,  or  deer 
park,  is  beautifully  kept  and  three  miles  in  circumference.  The 
Haga  Park  is  picturesque,  having  water  communication  with  its 
different  parts  and  with  the  city.  Copenhagen  contains  many  places 
of  public  resort,  but  the  most  notable  promenade  is  the  royal  deer 
park,  (Dyrhave,)  a  noble  forest. 

In  Italy  the  chief  public  resorts  are  the  gardens  attached  to 
the  villas.  The  Cascine  of  Florence,  on  the  banks  of  the  Arno, 
commands  fine  views,  and  the  drive  on  the  Pincian  Hill  at  Rome, 
has  magnificent  views  in  the  distance.  The  fashionable  drive  at 
Naples  is  on  a  broad  street  called  the  Riviera  di  Chiaja,  near  the 
bay,, but  separated  from  it  by  a  public  garden. 

Nearly  all  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  towns  are  provided  with 
promenades. 


LANDSCAPE  GARDENING  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
In  this  country,  until  recently,  but  little  attention  has  been  paid 
to  landscape  gardening,  and   nearly  all  the  improvements  of  the 


Public  Parks.  1 7 

grounds  of  our  finest  country  residences  have  been  made  under  the 
direction  of  tlie  owners  themselves,  suggested  by  their  own  good 
taste,  in  many  instances  improved  by  the  study  of  European  authors, 
or  by  personal  inspection  of  the  finest  places  abroad.  The  first 
botanical  garden  was  laid  out  and  planted  by  John  Bartram,  one 
of  the  pioneer  botanists  of  this  country,  near  Philadelphia.  Some 
of  the  trees  planted  by  him  are  still  to  be  seen  ;  among  them  the 
enormous  cypress,  the  destruction  of  which  he  feared  by  the  British 
army  after  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  which  so  much  preyed  upon  his 
mind  that  his  death  was  hastened  by  it.  Humphi-ey  Marshall  also 
laid  out  a  botanical  garden  near  West  Chester,  Pa. 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  places,  known  as  the  "  Woodlands," 
the  seat  of  the  Hamilton  family,  near  Philadelphia,  was  perhaps  the 
best  specimen  of  landscape  gardening  in  this  country  in  the  early 
part  of  the  present  century.  These  grounds  were  for  a  long  time 
under  the  care  of  the  distinguished  botanist  Pursh. 

Judge  Peters's  seat,  five  miles  from  Philadelphia,  was,  fifty  years 
ago,  the  finest  representative  of  the  geometric,  or  ancient  style,  in 
America.  One  of  the  chief  attractions  of  this  place,  which  still 
exists,  is  a  fine  avenue  of  hemlocks,  planted  120  years  ago,  several 
with  English  ivy,  also  a  chestnut  tree  planted  by  Washington,  still  in 
full  vigor. 

Lemon  Hill,  a  short  distance  above  the  Fairmount  Water  Works, 
on  the  Schuylkill  river,  was,  thirty  years  ago,  the  most  perfect  speci- 
men of  the  geometric  mode  in  this  country.  Through  the  liberality 
of  Mr.  Pratt  it  was  open  to  the  public. 

Clermont,  on  the  Hudson,  then  the  residence  of  Chancellor 
Livingston,  was  laid  out  in  the  geometric  style,  with  a  decided 
French  impress,  and  at  one  time  was  quite  noted. 

Waltham  House,  about  nine  miles  from  Boston,  was,  forty  years 
ago,  one  of  the  finest  places  in  the  country.  The  park,  in  addition 
to  clusters  of  native  wood,  was  enriched  with  English  limes  and 
elms,  watered  by  a  fine  stream,  and  well  stocked  with  deer. 

The  first  work  published  in  this  country  on  landscape  gardening 
w^as  the  American  Gardener's  Calendar,  by  Bernard  McMahon,  of 
Philadelphia  ;  and  the  only  practitioner  of  any  note  was  M.  Parmen- 
tier,  of  Brooklyn,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1S24.  He  gave 
to  landscape  gardening  quite  an  impetus,  and  to  his  taste  and  skill 
we  are  indebted  for  many  of  the  magnificent  places  on  the  Hudson  ; 
also  others  in  difterent   States  and   Canada.     The  taste   for   rural 


1 8  Public  Parks. 

improvement  was  slowly  and  gradually  increasing,  and  the  evidence 
of  the  growing  wealth  and  prosperity  of  our  citizens  manifested  itself 
in  the  increase  of  elegant  cottages  and  villa  residences  on  the  banks 
of  our  noble  rivers,  along  our  rich  valleys,  and  wherever  nature 
seems  to  invite  by  her  rich  and  varied  charms.  This  feeling  or  taste 
for  improvement  is  contagious,  and  once  fairly  appreciated  and 
established  in  one  portion  of  the  country,  it  soon  became  disseminated 
in  other  portions,  until  it  has  now  become  quite  general.* 

The  pi'ogress  that  landscape  gardening  has  made  during  the  last 
twenty-five  years  is  truly  astonishing,  and  to  no  one  are  we  so  much 
indebted  as  to  the  lamented  Downing.  The  impress  of  his  genius 
is  visible  everywhere,  and  monuments  to  his  taste  and  skill  are  to  be 
found  throughout  the  entire  land.  On  the  Hudson  are  to  be  found 
some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  art,  and  nowhere  in  the  Union 
is  it  so  far  advanced. 

The  environs  of  Boston  are  more  highly  cultivated  than  those  of 
any  other  city  in  North  America ;  in  fact,  in  certain  directions  the 
whole  neighborhood  may  be  considered  a  landscape  garden.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  Baltimore  are  found  a  number  of  fine  old  places, 
several  of  them  being  as  elaborate  and  magnificent  as  any  in  the 
country.  Others  are  to  be  found  scattered  throughout  different 
States,  even  in  sections  comparatively  new,  showing  conclusively 
that  a  taste  for  the  beautiful  in  art  and  nature  is  fast  being  dissemi- 
nated among  the  people. 

It  is  only  a  few  years  since  the  establishment  of  rural  cemeteries 
was  commenced  in  the  United  States,  owing  to  the  crowded  and 
confined  state  of  our  burial  grounds  within  the  large  cities  and 
their  manifest  injurious  influence  upon  health.  Such  has  been  the 
progress  of  this  movement,  and  its  importance  and  necessity  so 
apparent,  that  it  has  been  almost  universally  adopted,  and  intramural 
interments,  under  any  circumstances,  in  many  of  the  cities  are  totally 
prohibited.  As  a  legitimate  result,  arising  from  the  growing  taste 
for  landscape  gardening  and  the  promptings  of  affection  and  respect 
for  the  memory  of  the  sacred  dead,  we  have  in  the  United  States 
the  finest  rural  cemeteries  in  the  world,  which  we  think  may  be 
regarded  as  a  sure  evidence  of  our  advancement  in  civilization  and 
enlightenment. 

*  Tyovmm^'n  "  Landscape  Gardening;  " 


Public  Parks.  19 

PARKS   AND   PUBLIC   GROUNDS   IN  THE   UNITED   STATES. 

We  have,  however,  no  finished  parks  in  the  United  States,  and  it 
is  only  within  recent  date  that  much  attention  has  been  paid  to  this 
subject.  It  is  true  that  there  is  scarcely  a  town  that  does  not  have  its 
square  or  promenade,  but  in  its  European  signification  there  are  but 
few  that  desei-ve  that  appellation.  Although  there  is  probably  not  a 
village,  town,  or  embryo  city  laid  out  that  does  not  devote  a  portion 
of  it  for  public  uses,  still  the  importance  of  such  resorts  and  their 
proper  improvement  is  not  thoroughly  appreciated.  This,  no  doubt, 
arises  from  various  causes  ;  among  them,  in  cei^tain  sections,  the 
sparseness  of  population  and  the  absence  of  wealth  and  the  active 
life  led  by  a  majority  of  our  people,  who  take  comparatively  no  time 
for  recreation  or  pleasure,  little  dreaming  of  the  expenditure  of 
mental  and  physical  force  incident  to  such  a  life,  and  the  premature 
decay  which  inevitably  follows  ;  also,  the  false  utilitarian  views  taken 
by  many  of  the  subject. 

BOSTON    AND    NKW    ENGLAND. 

The  "  Common,"  so  long  the  boast  and  delight  of  Boston,  is  a 
small  park  of  forty-eight  acres  of  ground,  of  an  undulating  character, 
surrounded  by  an  iron  railing,  in  which  are  found  about  1,300  trees, 
nearly  all  of  them  having  been  planted.  It  dates  to  1634,  and  by  a 
clause  in  the  city  charter  it  is  made  public  property  forever,  and 
cannot  be  sold  or  exchanged.  There  are  many  walks  in  it,  laid  out 
more  with  a  view  of  communicating  with  entrances  from  all  direc- 
tions, than  any  attempt  at  the  picuresque.  The  walks  are  spacious, 
shaded  by  magnificent  trees  over  a  century  old  ;  the  one  on  Beacon 
street  being  particularly  unique  and  pleasant.  The  pviblic  garden, 
which  was  once  a  portion  of  the  Common,  is  now  separated  from  it 
by  Charles  street,  and  will  soon  rival  it  for  beauty  and  usefulness. 

Throughout  the  New  England  States  the  public  grounds  of  many 
of  the  towns  are  planted  with  trees  without  much  arrangement  or 
order,  showing  chiefly  the  beauty  and  value  which  the  trees  acquire 
by  age.  This  is  particularly  the  case  with  Cambridge,  New  Haven, 
Springfield,  Portland,  Hartford  and  Northampton  ;  in  fact,  the  prin- 
cipal charin  of  many  of  the  villages  is  the  trees  that  line  the  streets. 
Among  the  most  striking  may  be  mentioned  Hadley,  Deerfield  and 
Norwich. 

The  many  noble  elms  that  are  found  in  the  public  grounds  and 
streets  of  New  Haven,  which  were  planted  mainly  through   the 


20  Public  Parks. 

instrumentality  of  Hillhouse,  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
have  justly  obtained  for  that  city  the  soubriquet  of  the  "  City  of 
Elms."  There  are  at  New  Haven  several  public  squares.  The 
Wooster,  containing  five  acres,  is  laid  out  with  taste  ;  the  Green, 
containing  sixteen  acres,  shaded  by  its  graceful  and  elegant  elms  : 
and  the  Brewster  park,  containing  fifty-five  acres. 

At  Providence  thei^e  is  a  park  planted  with  elms,  nearly  a  mile 
in  circumference,  around  a  cove  of  the  Providence  river.  The  pub- 
lic park  at  Hartford  has  not  been  what  might  be  termed  a  success, 
owing  to  its  being  laid  out  on  a  difficult  piece  of  ground,  with  an 
ill-digested  plan. 

PHILADELPHIA.  ..'* 

The  public  squares  of  Philadelphia  have  long  been  the  pride  of 
that  cit}'.  Independence  Square,  in  the  rear  of  Independence  Hall, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  finest.  Washington  square,  in  olden  times, 
was  the  Potter's  Field,  where,  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  over 
two  thousand  soldiers  of  the  American  Army,  who  had  died  from 
wounds  and  camp-fever,  were  buried.  It  was  last  used  as  a  place  of 
interment  during  the  prevalence  of  yellow  fever  in  i793?  ^J^d  was 
finally  closed  in  1795,  and  laid  out  as  a  public  square  in  1815.  In 
this  square  is  laid  the  foundation  of  a  monument  to  Washington. 
Franklin  square  is  kept  in  good  order,  and  is  mainly  distinguished 
for  the  deer,  squirrels  and  peacocks  that  are  kept  in  it.  Penn,  Ritten- 
house,  Logan,  Fairhill  and  Non^is  squares  are  of  more  recent  origin, 
all  being  vv^ell  cared  for  and  kept  in  a  tasteful  manner.  The  grounds 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Fairmount  Water  Works,  on  the  Schuylkill 
river,  are  tastefully  laid  out,  and  for  years  have  been  a  favorite  resort. 
Several  years  ago,  Lemon  Hill,  about  a  half  mile  from  the  water- 
works, was  purchased  and  laid  out  as  a  public  park.  It  was  at  one 
time  the  handsomest  villa  in  America,  containing  120  acres,  to  which 
additions  have  been  made  of  80  acres.  The  alterations  were  designed 
by  Messrs.  Sidney  and  Adams.  These,  with  the  magnificent 
trees  and  fine  natural  position,  make  it  already  a  delightful  place. 
Additions  to  the  grounds  have  since  been  made  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  which  are  being  improved,  and  will  soon  be  connected 
by  a  bridge  over  the  Schuylkill. 

An  act  was  passed  at  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature  of  Penn- 
sylvania, increasing  the  boundaries  of  Fairmount  park,  on  both  sides 
of  the  Schuylkill,  and  including  a  portion  of  the  ground  lying  on  the 
banks  of  the  romantic  Wissahickon,  making  a  total  area  of  2,700 


Public  Parks.  21 

acres.  Philadelphia  has  lately  received  as  a  "  Christmas  gift"  from 
Jesse  George  and  his  sister,  Rebecca  George,  eighty-three  acres, 
known  as  "  George's  Hill,"  on  the  west  side  of  the  Schuylkill.  With 
these  additions  it  will  not  be  presumptuous  on  the  part  of  Philadel- 
phia to  claim  that  no  city  of  this  continent,  and  probably  of  the 
world,  has  more  natural  advantages  and  unsurpassed  beauty  than 
are    included  within  the  limits  of  Fairmount  park. 

WASHINGTON. 

Recently,  considerable  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  improve- 
ment and  care  of  the  grounds  attached  to  our  colleges,  hospitals,  and 
other  public  buildings.  We  are  greatly  indebted  to  the  late  Downing, 
for  the  taste  and  skill  displayed  in  the  arrangement  of  the  public 
grounds  at  Washington,  particularly  those  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tute and  LaFayette  Square.  The  grounds  of  the  Capitol  and  those 
of  the  White  House  have  long  been  favorite  promenades. 

The  project  of  a  new  mansion  for  the  President,  and  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  great  National  Park,  has  been  frequently  agitated,  while 
the  engineer  officers  have  already  examined  the  topography  of  the 
country  adjacent  to  Washington  for  this  purpose.  Mr.  Corcoran  has 
otrered  to  donate  a  large  tract  of  land  upon  certain  conditions.  It  is 
thought  that  at  least  1,800  acres  of  ground  lying  east  of  Rock  Creek, 
and  north  of  Columbia  College,  will  be  selected,  as  it  is  well  adapted 
by  nature  for  the  purpose  contemplated,  and  can  be  improved  at 
comparatively  small  expense. 

It  has  also  been  proposed  to  make  this  park  a  working  model  of 
the  United  States,  "to  delineate,  if  not  reproduce  in  miniature,  the 
topography  of  the  Continent ;  to  set  Huron  and  Ontario  in  reduced 
scale  upon  a  living  map  some  two  miles  long,  not  in  water  colors, 
but  in  the  element  itself;  to  lead  a  toy  Mississippi  from  its  baby 
nursery  through  a  little  continent  to  a  small  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The 
St.  Lawrence  and  the  Colorado,  and  all  other  great  rivers,  are  to  be 
represented  by  mimic  streams,  and  all  the  States  and  Territories  are 
to  be  represented,  preserving  their  relative  position  and  proportion. 
It  is  also  proposed  that  museums  shall  be  erected  upon  each  of  these 
little  representative  tracts,  and  the  States  and  citizens  shall  be  invited 
to  contribute  to  their  cabinets,  specimens  of  the  natural  and  artificial 
productions  of  the  States  represented." 

I  hope  that  nothing  of  the  kind  will  be  attempted,  for  it  will  most 
surely  result  in  failure,  as  landscape  gardening  cannot  be  successfully 


22  Public  Parks. 

restricted  to  such  arbitrary  rules.  There  are  plenty  of  other  ways 
by  which  its  national  character  can  be  shown,  and  every  portion  of 
our  country  represented,  in  full  consonance  with  the  beautiful  in  art 
and  nature. 

NEW   YORK. 

The  Central  Park  of  New  York  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
important  works  of  the  kind,  not  alone  in  this  country  but  the  world. 
The  genius  of  Downing  laid  the  foundation  for  it,  but  it  was  not  until 
after  his  death  that  the  ground  was  appropriated  for  this  purpose  by 
an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  New  York,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
close  of  1857  ^^^  the  actual  purchase  of  the  land  was  completed. 
Premiums  for  designs  amounting  to  $4,000  were  at  this  time  offered 
by  the  Commissioners  intrusted  with  the  conduct  of  the  enterprise, 
and  early  in  June,  185S,  the  plan  svibmitted  by  Fred.  Law  Olmsted 
and  Calvert  Vaux  was  adopted  by  the  board,  after  extraordinary 
competition,  thirty-five  studies  having  been  presented,  and  some  of 
them  from  Europe. 

The  park  is  two  and  one-half  miles  long  and  half  a  mile  wide, 
and  is  being  formed  in  two  parts,  connected  by  a  narrow  strip  of 
ground  containing  the  old  and  new  reservoirs  for  supplying  the  city 
with  water ;  the  former  a  quadrangular  basin  of  mason  work,  the 
latter  of  an  irregular  curved  ovitline,  with  an  earth  embankment  to 
retain  the  water — in  all  covering  about  150  acres.  The  original  park 
inclosure  contains  776  acres,  to  which  have  been  added  68  acres  at 
one  time,  and  more  recently  Manhattan  square  ;  so  that  it  now  con- 
tains 862  acres.  It  is  laid  out  in  the  first  place,  to  obtain  a  large 
unbroken  surface  of  smooth  meadow-like  ground,  even  where  the 
natural  obstacles  to  this  mode  are  to  be  overcome  by  heavy  expen- 
ditures. The  immediate  borders  of  these  spaces  are  planted  in  a 
manner  to  hide  or  disguise  any  incongruous  quality  in  the  grounds 
beyond.  The  rocky  and  broken  surface  which  originally  charac- 
terized the  whole  site,  however,  admits  of  the  application  of  this 
evident  preference  of  the  designers  to  but  a  small  poilion  of  the 
grounds,  while  elsewhere  its  capacities  for  picturesque  effect  have 
been  revealed.  The  diflerent  classes  of  communication  are  so 
arranged  that  by  a  peculiar  system  of  arched  passages,  it  never 
becomes  necessary  for  a  person  on  foot  to  cross  the  surface  of  the 
carriage  track,  or  the  horseman  to  cross  the  carriage  roads,  though 
he  may  ride  on  them  if  he  prefer.* 

♦Olmsted. 


Public  Parks.  23 

The  following  statistics  show  how  the  land  is  appropriated. 
Area  occupied  by  carriage  roads  49  acres,  9  miles  in  length  ;  by 
bridle  roads  15  acres,  5  miles  in  length  ;  by  walks  38  acres,  25-^ 
miles  in  length  ;  making  a  total  of  103  acres  ;  by  rock  surface, 
mainly  without  soil  or  shrubbery,  24  acres  ;  by  park  ground  fertilized 
or  chiefly  fertilized,  and  in  trees,  shrubbery,  or  in  open  lawns, 
exclusive  of  reservoirs,  roads,  walks,  pads,  rock  surface,  &c.,  536 
acres. 

The  subjoined  statistics  show  that  the  enhanced  value  of  property, 
by  the  laying  out  of  such  works  is  more  than  ample  to  meet  the 
interest  on  the  cost  of  construction  : 

Increased  value  of  property  in  XII,  XIX,  and  XXII 

Wards  since  1856, $75,675,750.00 

The  rate  of  tax  for  1867  is  2.67,  yielding  in   the 

increased  valuation  above  stated  an  increased 

tax  of $2,020,542.53 

The  total  expenditures  for  construction  from  May 

I,  1S57,  to  January  I,   1868,  is $5,185,299.11 

The  cost  of  land  of  the  Park  to  the  City,  is 5,028.844.10 

Total  cost  of  Park  up  to  this  time, $10,214,143.21 

The  annual  interest  on  the  cost  of  the  land  and 
improvement  of  the  Park  up  to  this  time  at  six 
per  cent $612,848.58 

Deduct  one  per  cent,  on  $399,300  of  the  above 

stock,  issued  at  five  per  cent $3,993.00 

$608,855.58 
Excess   of   increased   tax   in   three    wards     over 

interest  in  cost  of  land  and  improvements,. . . .  $1,411,686.95 

These  tables  show  an  extraordinary  rapidity  of  increase  in  the  value  of 
the  real  estate  in  the  upper  portions  of  the  Island — the  Nineteenth  Ward 
being  chiefly  conspicuous  for  the  advance  in  its  value.  This  is  not  entirely, 
but  largely,  attributable  to  the  improvements  of  the  Park.* 

The  other  public  grounds  in  the  city  of  New  York  are  the 
Battery,  containing  30  acres  ;  City  Hall  Park,  \o\  acres  ;  Washington 
Parade  Ground, 9^  acres  ;  Union  Square,  4  acres  ;  Stuy^^esant  Park,  4 
acres  ;  Tompkins  Square,  iOtV  acres  ;  Madison  Square,  7  acres ;  St. 
John's  Park,  4  acres  ;  Gramercy  Park,  i|  acres  : — making  a  total  of 
943  acres  of  ground  devoted  to  park  purposes  in  New  York.  It  may 
be  said  to  the  credit  of  the  Central  Park  Commissioners,  and  in  fact 
this  may  be  said  with  regard  to  all  the  different  Park  Commissioners 
throughout  the  country,  that  although  their  expenditures  have  been 
enormous,  they  have  never  been  charged  with  dishonesty. 

*  Eleventh  A  nnual  Report  of  Commissioners  of  the    Central  Park. 


24  Public  Parks. 

BALTIMORE.  ^ 

Druid  Hill  Park,  at  Baltimore,  was  opened  October  19,  i860,  by 
a  grand  celebration,  and  an  address  by  Mayor  Swann.  This  site  is 
one  of  the  most  ancient  estates  in  Maryland,  the  patent  bearing  date 
16SS,  and  is  situated  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  containing  550 
acres.  The  name  was  suggested  by  the  great  number  and  magnifi- 
cent oaks  which  abound  everywhere  upon  it,  and  was  selected  on 
account  of  the  "  suitability  of  the  location  to  the  wants  of  the  people, 
accessibility  to  the  great  masses  of  the  community,  and  its  facilities 
for  conversion  to  the  plans  and  uses  of  a  public  park  ;  also  its  natural 
beauty  and  attractiveness,  and  the  cost  of  placing  it  in  a  condition  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  public."  * 

A  large  portion  of  the  Park  is  covered  by  a  primitive  forest  of 
oak,  hickory,  tulip,  linden,  maple,  dogwood,  &c.  The  ground  is  high 
and  gently  undulating,  with  here  and  there  a  deep  ravine,  in  which 
are  found  springs  and  running  brooks.  It  commands  a  fine  vie-\y 
from  its  height  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  Fort  McHenry,  and  the  city  of 
Baltimore. 

This  park  has  its  origin  in  the  prudence  and  forethought  of  Mayor 
Swann,  who  was  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  city  passenger 
railways  should  pay  something  as  a  compensation  for  the  use  of  the 
streets,  and,  in  his  address,  he  says, — "  While  Baltimore  desired  a  park, 
and  while  she  was  in  no  condition  to  impose  additional  taxes  upon 
her  people,  it  occurred  to  the  friends  of  this  measure  that  she  could 
do  nothing  more  wise  or  beneficial,  after  placing  her  tariff  on  an 
equal  footing  with  her  sister  cities,  to  avail  herself  of  the  only  oppor- 
tunity likely  to  secure  an  adequate  bonus  to  be  applied  to  the 
purchase  of  a  public  park.  Accordingly,  when  the  ordinance 
creating  these  passenger  railways  was  presented  for  my  approval,  I 
deemed  it  my  duty  to  insist,  as  a  condition  of  the  franchise,  that  one- 
fifth  of  the  gross  receipts  should  go  into  the  treasury  as  a  fund  for 
this  purpose." 

This  was  done,  and  up  to  December  31,  186S,  the  sum  of 
$547,546.19  has  been  received  from  this  source,  which  has  been 
applied  to  the  payment  of  the  interest  of  the  park  bonds,  and  its 
improvement.  The  original  cost  was  $512,193.44;  this,  with  the 
additions,  improvements  and  interest,  amounted,  as  the  total  cost, 
December  31,  1868,  to  $1,302,410.61.! 


*  Mayor  Swann's  Dedication  Address. 

t  Ninth  Annual  Report  Park  Commission. 


Public  Parks.  25 

Druid  Hill  Park  has  been  slowly  and  steadily  improved,  and  will, 
no  doubt,  ere  long  be  one  of  the  most  delightful  resorts  in  the  country. 
In  1863,  Silver  Spring  was  highly  ornamented  by  the  liberality  of 
Gerard  T.  Hopkins  ;  and  in  1864,  Edmund's  Well  was  adorned  by 
the  munificence  of  John  A.  Needles.  Various  works  of  art,  and 
specimens  of  natural  history,  such  as  swan  and  deer,  have  been  pre- 
sented by  liberal  donors.  In  1863,  additions  were  made  to  this 
park — among  them  Mount  Vernon  Cemeter3^  Chapman  Lake  was 
completed  in  1866,  and  covers  sixty-five  acres. 

Mr.  Daniels,  who  had  laid  out  a  number  of  rural  cemeteries,  was 
first  employed  to  adapt  this  beautiful  old  private  park  to  public  pur- 
poses. The  purchase  and  improvement  of  this  ground  has  enhanced 
the  value  of  property  in  its  vicinity  more  than  250  per  cent. 

Patterson's  park  was  purchased  in  i860,  for  $43,642.50.  It  is 
situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  and  commands  a  fine  view  of 
the  harbor  and  bay.  On  it  are  the  remains  of  a  fortification  erected 
for  the  defence  of  the  city  in  181 2.  It  contains  thirty-five  and  one- 
half  acres,  six  of  which  are  covered  by  fine  trees.  The  cost,  to 
Dec.  31,  1868,  with  interest  and  improvements,  was  $130,593.78, 
making  the  total  expenditure  for  park  purposes,  by  the  city  of 
Baltimore,  to  that  time,  $1,433,013.30.  Both  parks  have,  for  the  last 
five  years,  been  under  the  management  of  August  Faul.  Although 
the  expenditures  have  not  been  lavish,  great  improvements  have 
been  made,  reflecting  the  highest  credit  upon  the  commission  for 
judicious  and  economic  management. 

It  is  said  that  Mr.  Hopkins  has  donated  Clifton  Park  to  the  city 
of  Baltimore,  for  public  purposes.  This  is  one  of  the  most  elaborate 
places  in  the  United  States.  In  addition  to  a  fine  and  costly  house, 
there  is  nowhere  in  this  country,  probably,  so  large  a  range  of  glass, 
with  such  diversified  grounds,  great  variety  of  trees,  shrubs,  walks, 
lawns,  and  large  pieces  of  ornamental  water,  containing  numerous 
islands,  planted  with  masses  of  rhododendi'ons  and  evergreen  shrubs, 
connected  by  tasteful  and  appropriate  bridges. 

BROOKLYN. 

Prospect  Park,  Brooklyn,  although  of  more  recent  origin,  bids 
fair  to  become  a  formidable  rival  to  the  Central  Park  of  New  York, 
as  the  ground  in  some  respects  is  better  adapted  for  the  purpose. 
The  land  had  been  selected  for  some  time  prior  to  the  final  pur- 
chase,in  1864.  It  was  not  until  1866,  that  much  improvement  was 
made,  when  those  accomplished  landscape  gardeners,  Olmsted  and 


26  Public  Parks. 

Vaux,  were  placed  in  charge.  The  design  is  truly  beautiful,  and  if 
carried  out  as  commenced,  with  the  park-way,  will  make  Prospect 
Park  and  its  vicinity  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  in  this  country. 

Since  1866,  250  acres  of  the  550,  of  which  it  is  composed,  have 
been  imder  treatment,  and  19,000  feet  in  length  of  carriage,  and 
17,000  feet  of  walk  completed,  and  over  100,000  trees  and  shrubs  set 
out ;  and  since  October  20,  1866,  when  carriages  were  first  admitted, 
it  has  become  quite  a  favorite  resort. 

The  land  originally  cost  the  city  June  15,  1864, $1,357,606.27 

First  addition,  Feb.  4,  1866, 158,558.41 

Second  addition,  May  27,  1867, 752,745.02 

Total  cost  of  land, $2,268,909.70 

Cost  of  improvements  to  Dec.  31,  1867, 1,169,604.70 

Total  cost, $3,438,514.40 

The  interest,  payable  semi-annually,  is  raised  by  annual  tax  on  the  First, 
Twelfth  and  the  Twentieth  Wards  of  the  city.  Soon  after  work  commenced 
in  the  park,  the  price  of  lots  rose  rapidly  in  the  neighborhood,  and  recent 
sales  show  increasing  value.  The  assessed  value  of  the  real  estate  in  the 
Eight  Ward,  exclusive  of  the  amount  assessed  for  buildings,  has  increased 
over  30  per  cent,  during  the  last  year,  while  the  increased  value  of  the  real 
estate  of  the  Eight  and  Ninth  Wards,  being  the  two  wards  immediately 
contiguous  to  the  park,  has  for  the  same  time,  amounted  to  nearly  two-thirds 
of  the  increased  value  of  the  entire  city.  A  similar  increase  from  the  same 
cause,  though  not  to  the  same  extent,  is  perceptible  in  the  Twentieth  Ward, 
which  comes  next  in  contiguity  to  the  park,  and  doubtless  an  increase  exists 
in  several  of  the  other  wards,  particularly  the  Tenth. 

The  records  of  the  Board  of  City  Assessors  show  that  the  assessed  value 
of  real  estate  in  the  year  1864  was  : 

In  the  Eighth  Ward, $4,913,274  ' 

In  the  Ninth  Ward, 7,966,471 

In  the  Twentieth  Ward, 7,069,650 

Total, $19,949,395 

The  same  record  for  the  year  1867  shows  : 

In  the  Eighth  Ward, $  7,983,200 

In  the  Ninth  Ward, 10,743,797 

In  the  Twentieth  Ward, 8,705,090 

Total  in  three  wards, $27,432,087 

Increased  in  valuation  since  active  operations 

commenced  in  parks, $7,482,692 

The  additional  tax  which  was  raised  from  this  increased  valuation  for  the 
year  1867,  was  $280,692,  while  the  annual  interest  on  the  whole  park  debt,  as 
it  now  stands,  is  $229,219,  showing  an  annual  increase  of  revenue  to  the 
city,  from  three  wards  alone,  of  $51,473.* 

*  Eighth  A  nnnal  Report  of  Commissioners  of  Prospect  Park. 


Public  Parks.  27 

At  the  request  of  the  Common  Council,  the  Legishiture  placed 
four  of  the  smaller  parks  under  the  charge  of  the  Board  of  Prospect 
Park,  viz.,  the  Carroll,  City,  Washington  (thirty  acres),  and  City 
Hall  parks.  In  the  latter  are  to  be  placed  the  remains  of  the  Prison- 
ship  martyrs.  Washington  Park  was  laid  out  in  1848,  and  although 
plans  have  been  made  for  its  improvement,  it  has  been  proposed  to 
lay  it  out  in  lots,  and  sell  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  city.  There  is 
a  cemetery  included  in  Prospect  Park,  from  which  the  bodies  are, 
however,  to  be  removed. 

SAVANNAH,    NEW   ORLEANS,    SAN    FRANCISCO,    DETROIT,    AND 
'^-  CLEVELAND. 

Savannah  has  a  great  many  small  public  squares,  some  of  which 
are  laid  out  with  much  taste,  and  many  of  the  streets  are  lined  with 
the  Pride  of  China  trees,  presenting  a  beautiful  and  unique  aspect. 
New  Orleans  has  its  Jackson  Square,  formerly  the  Place  d'  Ar}nes^ 
which  was  laid  out  at  the  foundation  of  the  city,  and  which  has 
recently  been  much  improved.  In  it  is  the  equestrian  statue  of 
Gen.  Jackson,  by  Clark  Mills.  Upon  the  granite  block  whereon  it 
stands,  Gen.  Butler,  while  in  the  military  occupation  of  the  city, 
caused  to  be  engraved,  "The  Union,  it  must  be  preserved."  La 
Fayette  Square,  in  another  portion  of  the  city,  is  pleasantly  laid  out. 
There  are  also  several  smaller  squares.  Owing  to  the  peculiar 
manner  in  which  Detroit  is  laid  out,  there  are  many  pieces  of  ground 
of  different  sizes  and  shapes,  intended  for  the  public  use.  Some  ot 
them  are  now  being  improved,  and  when  completed  will  add  much 
to  the  appearance  and  beauty  of  that  city.  San  Francisco  has 
twelve  squares,  but  the  Plaza,  or  Portsmouth  Square,  is  the  only  one 
improved.  Cleveland  has  a  fine  public  square,  ornamented  with  a 
statue  of  Perry.  Mr.  Nicholson  proposes  to  give  to  this  city,  for  the 
purposes  of  a  public  park,  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  ground,  lying  on  both  sides  of  Rock  river,  provided  the 
city  will  expend  in  its  improvement,  the  sum  of  $50,000  per  year 
for  ten  years. 

CINCINNATI. 

Until  recently,  Cincinnati  has  had  no  place  that  could  be  called  a 
park.  The  first  eftbrt  in  supplying  this  want  was  the  conversion  of 
an  old  cemetery  into  Washington  Park,  containing  four  and  a  half 
acres,  almost  in  the  heart  of  the  city  ;  and  it  looks  very  prettily,  with 
its  lake,  fountains,  walks,  slopes,  and  venerable  trees.      The   next 


28  Public  Parks. 

step  was  to  form  Lincoln  Park,  first  called  West-End  Park,  contain- 
ing seven  acres,  with  its  large,  handsome  lake,  and  beautiful  green 
island,  and  which  was  a  great  improvement  to  the  West  End. 
Hopkins,  containing  one  and  a  half  acres,  and  the  City  Park,  one 
and  a  fourth  acres,  are  within  the  built-up  parts  of  the  city- 
It  was  not  until  the  water  supply  question  was  agitated,  and  the 
necessity  for  a  new  resei^voir  of  fair  capacity  became  imperative, 
that  the  idea  of  combining  a  large  park  and  resen^oir  became 
popular,  four  years  ago,  A  portion  of  the  high  grounds  boldly  over- 
looking the  Ohio  river,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  was  selected, 
known  as  Longworth's  Garden  of  Eden,  as  the  proper  location  for 
the  resei-voir,  to  give  sufficient  head  to  the  water  suppl3^  Combined 
with  this  advantage  was  another — that  nature  had  so  formed  the 
ground  as  to  leave  it  susceptible  of  easy  landscape  improvement.  It 
contains  156  acres,  14  of  which  will  be  covered  by  water.  There  are 
at  this  time  over  three  miles  of  avenues  laid  out,  two  of  which  are 
nearly  graded,  so  that  early  in  the  spring  the  broken  stone  and 
gi'avel  can  be  put  on,  forming  one  of  the  most  delightful  drives  in 
the  vicinit)'^  of  the  city.  The  grades  of  all  the  avenues  are  very  easy, 
most  of  them  being  scarcely  perceptible.  Nearly  the  whole  ground 
will  be  laid  oft'  in  landscape,  and  the  reservoir  adding  to  the  beauties 
of  the  scenery,  will  form  a  very  conspicuous  feature.  There  is  no 
stiff  outline  or  geometrical  form  to  the  boundaries  of  the  reservoir, 
the  water  forming  its  own  outline  by  the  natural  slopes  of  the 
hills.  There  is  no  point  at  which  a  view  of  the  entire  lake  can  be 
seen,  some  portions  of  its  surface  being  lost  in  the  meanderings  of  its 
course. 

The  ground  has  been  leased  by  the  city,  and  whenever  the  City 
should  wish  to  purchase,  it  can  do  so,  for  the  sum  of  $3,000  per 
acre,  but  until  then  it  is  to  pay  an  annual  rent  on  the  above  amount 
at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent,  per  annum.  Work  was  commenced  in 
May  1867,  and  up  to  this  time  $245,000  have  been  expended. 
The  improvement  is  expected  to  cost  $1,400,000,* 

ST,    LOUIS, 

In  St,  Louis,  the  subject  of  public  parks  has  occupied  much 
attention  for  the  past  few  yeai's,  the  same  diversity  of  opinion  and 
interest  existing  as  in  our  city.  The  city  was  the  owner,  in  1866,  of 
287  acres  of  land,  distributed  in  various  parks,  places,  and  squares 
throughout  the  city.     In  the  same  year  the  Mayor  recommended  the 

*Dr.  Wm.  Clendenin,  Health  Officer,  Cincinnati. 


Public  Parks. 


29 


passage  of  an  ordinance  authorizing  the  City  Cemetery  to  be  declared 
a  public  park,  and  the  purchase  of  the  following  additions,  so  as  to 
increase  the  City  Cemetery  to  35fVo  ^^cres,  Lafayette  Park  to  47yVu 
acres,  St.  Louis  Place  to  35yVo  acres,  and  Hyde  Park  to  20^/5 
acres  ;  also,  the  purchase  of  fifty  acres  outside  of  the  city  limits. 
This,  I  believe,  was  not  done.  The  following  are  the  names, 
locality,  and  area  of  the  parks : — 


Carondelet  Park 

Laclede  Park 

Gravois  Park 

Lafayette  Park 

Washington  Square 

Missouri  Park 

Carr  Square 

Jackson  Place 

Clinton  Place 

Marion  Place  

St.  Louis  Place 

Hyde  Park 

Exchange  Square.. . 
Tower  Grove  Park  . 
Benton  Park 


LOCALITY. 


N.  Dacotah  street,  E.  Michigan  avenue. 
N.  Gasconade  street,  E.  Iowa  avenue. 
Potomac  street  and  Kansas  avenue. .  . 
Park  avenue  and  Mississippi  avenue.  . 

Market  and  12th  streets 

St.  Charles  and  13th  streets 

Carr  and  E.  i6th  streets 

Jackson  alley  and  nth  street 

Clinton  alley  and  nth  street 

Marion  alley  and  nth  street. .'. 

Herbert  and  17th  streets 

Bremen  avenue  and  12th  street 

Warren  street  and  Wharf 

Magnolia  and  Grand  avenue 

Arsenal  st.  &  McHose  &  English  Cave. 


q  17 

'^IITTS' 
fi  252 

CTTTfTTT 


Q_3  4  6 
"1007 
O  6J}_7 
'-'To  07 
i  622 
-■■10  Off 
1622 

-■^TffOff 


■^"^rffffo 

11    8  33 
-l-'^TOffff 

1  k;  18 

■■■^100 

'276  '^6 
"''"100 

IfJ  6  0 
■■■"100 


Mr.  Henry  Shaw  several  years  ago  offered  to  donate  to  the  city  of 
St.  Louis  200  acres,  on  condition  that  a  certain  strip  surrounding  the 
tract  be  resei-ved  by  him  and  sold  for  residences,  the  proceeds  to 
constitute  a  part  of  the  endowment  of  his  "Botanical  Garden." 
On  March  9,  1867,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  of 
Missouri  creating,  and  providing  for  the  government  of  Tower- 
Grove  Park ;  and  on  July  3,  1868,  the  City  Council  passed  an 
ordinance  to  raise  the  requisite  funds,  for  carrying  out  the  provisions 
of  the  act.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  provision  is  made  in  the  act  creat- 
ing the  park  for  its  improvement,  Mr.  Shaw  donated  76  acres  more 
than  he  originally  intended.  He  is  constituted  a  Commissioner 
during  his  life,  and  he  also  appoints  the  remaining  four  Commissioners. 
The  grounds  are  partially  improved,  and  with  the  arboretum,  botanical 
garden,  &c.,  constitute  one  of  the  most  liberal  gifts  ever  made  by  a 


30  Public  Parks. 

private  gentleman  for  the  public  benefit.  I  am  informed  that  the 
necessary  funds  have  been  raised  for  its  improvement,  and  that  as 
soon  as  possible  work  will  be  commenced,  * 

CHICAGO. 

Coming  now  to  Chicago  we  find  her  public  grounds  distributed  as 
follows  :  in  the  North  Division  is  Lincoln  Park,  containing  about  50 
acres,  35  of  w^hich  may  be  said  to  be  improved,  whereon  the  sum  of 
$60,000  has  been  very  judiciously  expended  during  the  last  three 
years,  making  it  a  truly  beautiful  place.  With  the  lake  and  the 
character  of  the  ground,  there  is  here  afl:brded  a  fine  opportunity  for 
landscape  gai'dening.  Many  trees  have  been  set  out,  and  two  and  a 
half  miles  of  carriage  drives,  and  about  the  same  length  of  graded 
walks,  have  been  constructed.  Unfortunately  the  carriage  drives  are 
not  wide  enough.  Several  picturesque  lakes  are  also  found  in  it. 
Washington  Park  is  also  in  the  North  Division,  situated  between 
North  Dearborn  and  North  Clark  streets,  and  Washington  and 
Lafayette  places.  It  contains  2y\  acres,  upon  which  a  few  trees 
have  been  planted,  and  improved  by  two  conci'ete  walks  running 
through  it,  and  is  enclosed  by  a  common  fence.  Lake  Park,  is  a 
tract  lying  along  the  lake  in  front  of  Michigan  avenue,  extending 
from  Randolph  street  to  Park  Place,  and  when  filled  will  contain 
about  40  acres.  Dearborn  Park  is  between  Washington  and 
Randolph  streets,  fronting  on  Michigan  avenue,  containing  lyVo 
acres,  and  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing  with  a  few  stunted  ti'ees 
scattered  here  and  there,  together  with  an  occasional  evergreen.  The 
attempts  at  improvement  of  this  piece  of  ground  have  been  singu- 
larly abortive,  and  in  a  sanitary  point  of  view  much  more  benefit 
can  be  derived  by  the  sale  of  this  property  for  business  purposes, 
and  the  application  of  the  proceeds  to  the  purchase  of  grounds 
elsewhere,  —  as  for  instance  in  the  5th  Ward  between  26th  and 
31st  streets.  The  Court  House  Square  contains  2yf„^  acres,  but 
with  the  extension  of  the  public  buildings  the  area  which  will  be 
left  for  decoration  will  be  insignificant.  Several  unsuccessful 
attempts  have  been  made  to  improve  this  square.  Ellis  Park  has 
an  area  of  about  3  acres,  and  is  situated  near  the  Douglas  Monu- 
ment, and  is  covered  by  a  few  forest  trees.  Union  Park  on  the 
West  Side  contains  17  acres  whose  improvements  have  cost  the 
sum  of  $42,584.74.  The  attempt  at  landscape  gardening  in  this 
park    has   been    unfortunate,    as    the    extent    and    character   of  the 

*  Dr.  P.  v.  Schenck,  Health  Officer,  St.  Louis. 


Public  Parks.  31 

ground  is  such  that  it  will  not  admit  of  anything  of  the  kind. 
Jefferson  Park  containing  <^^-^  acres,  is  situated  between  Monroe 
and  Adams  streets,  on  the  north  and  south,  and  Rucker  and  Loomis 
streets  east  and  west,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  wooden  fence,  and 
has  been  laid  out  in  walks,  and  a  few  trees  have  been  planted  in  and 
around  it.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Vernon  Park,  which 
contains  four  acres.  Wicker  Park,  is  a  projected  one  in  the  extreme 
north-western  part  of  the  city.  The  whole  area  within  the  city, 
devoted  to  park  purposes,  amounts  to  1 25  ^^^  acres,  of  which  only 
one-third  has  been  improved,  and  upon  the  improvements  about 
$105,000  have  been  expended.  * 

I  have  thus  passed  in  review  the  history  of  parks  and  public 
grounds,  from  the  earliest  period  to  the  present  time.  Apart  from 
considerations  of  sanitary  economy,  of  which  I  shall  treat  hereafter, 
it  will  be  seen  that  public  parks  may  be  regarded  as  an  unerring 
index  of  the  advance  of  a  people  in  civilization  and  refinement. 
They  form  an  attractive  feature  in  the  surroundings  of  an}^  great  city, 
and  constitute,  even,  the  peculiar  charm  of  many  a  country  village. 
From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  how  much  has  been  accomplished 
elsewhere,  and  how  little  here.  This  is  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the 
rapidity  with  which  Chicago  has  sprung  up.  But  it  is  singular,  that 
with  all  her  characteristic  business  energy  and  forethought,  she  has 
so  far  neglected  to  secure  ample  grounds  for  park  purposes ;  but 
the  time  has  now  arrived  when  it  becomes  necessary  to  act,  and  act 
in  a  manner  that  will  not  leave  her  behind,  as  compared  with  other 
cities,  in  those  arts  which  embellish  and  render  cities  attractive  as 
places  of  abode  ;  in  other  words,  we  want,  not  alone  a  place  for 
business,  but  also  one  in  which  we  can  live. 

*  In  this  connection,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  call  attention  to  the  suburban  village  at 
Riverside,  located  in  a  bend  of  the  Aux  Plaines  Rivei',  nine  miles  south-west  from  the  business  center 
of  Chicago,  and  six  miles  west  of  the  city  limits.  It  is  a  private  enterprise,  and  is  intended  as  a  resi- 
dent park,  comprising  an  area  of  i,6oo  acres,  which  has  been  laid  out,  and  is  now  being  improved, 
under  the  direction  of  Olmsted  and  Vaux,  formerly  architects  and  landscape  gardeners  of  the  Central 
Park,  New  York,  and  now  of  the  Prospect  Park,  Brooklyn.  The  greater  portion  of  the  ground  is 
admirably  adapted  for  this  purpose,  being  about  twenty  feet  above  the  river,  making  it  easily  susceptible 
of  good  drainage,  while  the  banks  of  the  river  and  the  more  elevated  portions  of  the  ground  are  covered 
with  groves  of  thrifty  trees,  consisting  of  oaks,  elms,  hickories,  walnuts,  lindens,  and  ashes.  Here  are  to 
be  combined  the  comforts  of  the  city,  in  the  way  of  gas,  water,  drainage,  with  all  the  beauties  of  land- 
scape gardening  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt,  judging  trom  the  report  of  the  architects  to  the  owners,  and  the 
work  already  accomplished,  that  it  will  be  made  one  of  the  finest  suburban  parks  in  the  country,  and 
one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  healthful  places  of  residence  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  city.  To  facili- 
tate access,  it  is  also  intended  to  connect  this  park  with  the  city  by  a  broad  and  well  improved  avenue, 
lined  with  trees.  If  it  were  for  nothing  else,  this  enterprise  cannot  be  too  strongly  commended,  on 
account  of  the  trees  that  are  to  be  planted  along  this  avenue,  which,  in  the  course  of  time,  will  exercise 
a  vast  influence  in  moderating  the  e.\trenies  of  our  climate,  and  go  far  to  protect  the  city  from  the  inju- 
rious effects  of  the  south-west  wind  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  As  the  approaches  to  the  city  in 
that  direction  are  an  open  waste,  and  exceedingly  uninterestmg,  and,  at  times,  positively  dreary  and 
difficult,  owing  to  character  of  the  roads,  Riverside  and  the  avenue  will  soon  cause  the  improvement  of 
the  intervening  space,  and  thus  obviate  this  objection. 


32  Public  Parks. 

HOW  FAR  MAN  CAN  MODIFY  CLIMATE. 

Marsh,  in  his  work  on  "Man  and  Nature,"  says:  "The  influ- 
ence of  man  in  changing  the  climate  and  the  physical  condition  of  a 
country  needs  no  argument  to  substantiate."  Withdraw  man,  and 
you  remove  the  disturber  of  all  laws.  People  must  be  "  awakened 
to  the  necessity  of  restoring  the  disturbed  harmonies  of  nature,  where 
well-balanced  influences  are  so  propitious  to  all  her  organic  off"- 
spring,  of  repaying  to  our  great  mother  the  debt  which  the  prodigality 
and  thriftlessness  of  former  generations  have  imposed  upon  their 
successors — thus  fulfilling  the  command  of  religion  and  of  practical 
wisdom,  to  use  this  world  as  not  abusing  it."  He  further  says : 
"  I  am  satisfied  that  we  can  become  the  architects  of  our  own  abiding 
place,  as  it  is  well  known  how  the  mode  of  our  physical,  moral,  and 
intellectual  being  is  affected  by  the  character  of  the  home  Providence 
has  appointed,  and  we  have  fashioned  for  our  material  habitation." 

Such  is  undoubtedly  the  case,  and  it  becomes  our  duty  to  restore, 
as  far  as  possible,  this  harmony,  which  is  destroj'ed  by  the  accumu- 
lation of  such  a  mass  of  human  beings,  as  are  now  congregated  in 
and  around  this  city.  The  collection  of  many  people  in  a  small 
space,  no  matter  for  what  purpose,  is  unnatural  and  artificial.  It  is 
therefore  necessary,  in  order  to  prevent  the  ill  effects  of  such  accu- 
mulations, to  resort  to  artificial  means  to  equalize  the  disturbing 
agencies.  Will  we  then  intelligently  use  what  knowledge  we  have, 
and  avert  the  result,  or  fold  our  hands,  and  depend  upon  blind 
chance,  bearing  in  mind,  however,  that 

"  Death  lives  where  power  lives  unused." 

In  the  discussion  of  the  questions  involved,  in  order  to  arrive  at 
satisfactory  results,  it  is  necessary  to  examine  into  all  its  aspects  and 
relations  systematically ;  and  when  conclusions  are  arrived  at,  their 
application  must  be  made  in  like  manner,  in  order  to  produce  the 
desired  result. 

"Science,"  says  Whewell,  "is  that  precise  and  comprehensive 
kind  of  knowledge  which  results  from  the  application  to  facts,  which 
are  sufficientl}'^  numerous,  of  conceptions  clear  and  distinct  in  them- 
selves, and  so  suited  to  the  facts  as  to  produce  an  exact  and  uniform 
accordance ;  and  the  construction  of  science  is  a  process  which 
comprises  methods  of  observation,  methods  of  obtaining  clear  ideas, 
and  methods  of  induction."*  "  Science,"  says  Lord  Bacon,  evidently 
following  the  definition  of  Pliny,  "is  the  interpretation  of  nature," 

*  Bain   on   the   Senses  and  the  Intellect 


Public  Parks.  33 

"a  comparison,"  says  Bain,  "that  transfixes  the  mind  with  the  idea 
of  observing,  recording,  and  explaining  the  facts  of  the  world." 

This  definition  I  shall  apply  to  sanitary  science,  in  connection 
with  public  parks,  and,  as  best  I  can,  explain  general  laws  and  draw 
deductions  from  the  facts  within  my  reach,  with  regard  to  the  climate, 
topography,  and  diseases  of  this  locrdity.  Although  some  of  the 
facts  collected  during  1866,  and  the  f^rst  half  of  1867,  are  not  as  full 
nor  as  accurate  as  those  collected  since,  still  they  are  sufficiently  so 
to  indicate  the  general  laws  governing  and  controlling  them. 

VEGETABLE    PHYSIOLOGY. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  important  part  that  the  vegetable 
kingdom  performs  in  the  economy  of  nature,  and  particularly  its 
effects  upon  animal  life,  it  will  be  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the 
elementary  composition  of  plants,  the  nature  of  the  food  by  which 
they  are  nourished,  the  sources  from  which  this  food  is  derived,  and 
the  transformation  it  undergoes  in  their  system.  In  the  process  of 
digestion  or  assimilation  is  found  the  nature  of  vegetation,  as  in  this 
process  alone  mineral  and  unorganized  matter  is  converted  into  the 
tissues  of  plants  and  other  forms  of  organized  matter,  the  vege- 
table kingdom  occupying  a  position  between  the  mineral  and  the 
animal  kingdoms.  In  living  bodies  there  is  a  state  of  internal 
activity  and  unceasing  change — particles  which  have  served  their  turn 
being  continually  thrown  out  of  the  system  as  new  ones  are  brought 
in,  thus  constantly  undergoing  decomposition  and  recomposition. 
Plants  are  organized  beings  that  live  directly  upon  the  mineral  king- 
dom— and  upon  the  surrounding  earth  and  air,  and,  as  a  necessary 
result  of  assimilating  their  organic  food,they  decompose  carbonic  acid, 
and  restore  its  oxygen  to  the  atmosphere.  Animals  in  respiration, 
continually  recompose  carbonic  acid  at  the  expense  of  the  oxygen  of 
the  atmosphere  and  the  carbon  of  plants.  Plants  absorb  their  food 
entirely  in  a  liquid  or  gaseous  form,  by  imbibition,  according  to  the 
law  of  endosmosis,  through  the  walls  of  the  cells  that  form  the 
surface — as  when  liquids  of  unequal  density  are  separated  by  a 
permeable  membrane,  the  lighter  liquid  or  the  weaker  solution  will 
flow  into  the  denser  or  stronger  with  a  force  proportioned  to  tlae 
difference  in  density  ;  but  at  the  same  time  a  smaller  portion  of  the 
denser  liquid  will  flow  out  into  the  weaker,  which  process  is  called 
exosmosis. 


34  Public  Parks. 

The  fluid  absorbed  by  the  roots,  is  thus  carried  from  cell  to  cell, 
rising  principally  in  the  wood,  and  is  attracted  to  the  leaves,  or 
other  parts  of  the  plants  exposed  to  sun  and  light,  by  the  exhalation 
which  takes  place  from  them,  and  the  consequent  inspiration  of  the 
sap.  Here  the  crude  sap  is  exposed  to  sun  and  light,  and  assimilated 
and  converted  into  organizable  matter.  Carbon,  hydrogen,  oxygen, 
and  nitrogen,  are  indispensable  to  vegetation,  and  make  up  at  least 
from  88  to  90  per  cent,  of  every  vegetable  substance  ;  the  proper 
vegetable  structure,  however,  is  only  composed  of  carbon,  hydrogen, 
and  oxygen. 

Plants  also  receive  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  ammonia,  which  is 
always  produced  when  any  animal,  and  almost  when  any  vegetable 
substance  decays,  and  which,  being  very  volatile,  continually  rises 
into  the  air  from  these  and  other  sources.  Ammonia  is  soluble  and 
is  greedily  absorbed  by  aqueous  vapor,  and  is  brought  to  the  ground 
by  rain  and  snow.  The  carbon  of  plants  is  derived  wholly  from  the 
carbonic  acid  of  the  atmosphere,  and  it  makes  up  jaV-g-  ^^  its  bulk, 
from  which  it  is  directly  absorbed  by  the  leaves.  It  may  then  be  said 
that  the  atmosphere  contains  all  the  essentials  to  plant  growth,  viz., 
water  in  a  state  of  vapor,  which  is  not  only  food  itself  as  it  supplies 
oxygen  and  hydrogen,  but  is  likewise  the  vehicle  of  the  others, 
carrying  to  the  roots  what  it  has  gathered  from  the  air,  namely,  the 
requisite  supplies  of  nitrogen,  either  as  such,  or  in  the  form  of 
ammonia,  and  of  carbon  in  the  forin  of  carbonic  acid. 

In  fact,  all  of  the  essential  elements  of  plants  or  proper  food 
may  be  absorbed  by  the  leaves  directly  from  the  air,  and  no  doubt 
most  plants  take  in  a  great  part  of  their  food  in  this  way  as  droop- 
ing foliage  may  be  revived  by  sprinkling  with  water,  or  exposure  to 
a  damp  atmosphere. 

Air  plants  live  on  the  atmosphere,  and  a  branch  of  the  common 
"•Live  Forever"  will  grow  when  pinned  to  a  dry  and  bare  wall. 
All  leafy  plants  derive  their  carbonic  acid  from  the  air,  and  many, 
as  has  already  been  stated,  derive  their  whole  food  from  the  air 
or  part  of  it.  It  is  found,  that  when  a  current  of  carbonic  acid 
is  made  to  traverse  a  glass  globe  containing  a  leafy  plant  exposed  to 
full  sunshine,  some  carbonic  acid  disappears,  and  an  equal  bulk  of 
oxygen  gas  supplies  its  place.  Now  since  carbonic  acid  gas  contains 
just  its  own  bulk  of  oxygen,  it  is  evident  that  what  has  thus  been 
decomposed  in  the  leaves  has  returned  all  its  oxygen  to  the  air. 


Public  Parks.  35 

Although  phmts  may  derive  their  food  from  the  air,  they  receive 
it  mainly  through  the  roots.  The  aqueous  vapor.,  condensed  into 
rain  or  dew,  and  bringing  with  it  to  the  ground  a  portion  of  carbonic 
acid  and  of  nitrogen  or  ammonia,  &c.,  supplies  the  proper  food  of 
the  plant  to  the  rootlets,  and  imbibed  by  these  it  is  conveyed  thi^ough 
the  stem  and  into  the  leaves  where  the  superfluous  water  is  restored  to 
the  atmosphere  by  exhalation,  while  the  residue  is  converted  into 
the  proper  nourishment  and  substance  of  the  vegetable. 

The  water  exhaled  may  be  again  absorbed  by  the  roots  laden 
with  a  new  supply  of  the  other  elements  from  the  air,  again  exhaled 
and  so  on,  as  illustrated  by  cultivated  plants  in  Ward's  case,  where 
plants  are  seen  to  flourish  for  a  long  time  with  a  limited  supply  of 
water,  every  particle  of  which  (excepting  the  small  portion  actually 
consumed  by  the  plants,)  must  repeatedly  pass  through  this  circula- 
tion ;  and  here  is  exhibited  the  actual  relations  of  water,  &c.,  to 
vegetation  on  a  large  scale  in  nature,  where  the  water  is  alternately 
and  repeatedly  raised  by  evaporation  and  recondensed  t  o  such  an 
extent  that  what  actually  falls  in  rain  is  estimated  to  be  evaporated  and 
rained  down  on  an  average  ten  or  fifteen  times  a  year.  In  this  way 
the  atmosphere  is  repeatedly  purified  by  the  rain,  and  those  vapors 
washed  out,  which  else  by  their  accumulations,  would  prove  injurious 
to  man  and  animals,  and  are  conveyed  to  the  roots  of  plants  which 
they  are  especially  adapted  to  nourish. 

During  intensely  hot  weather  the  effect  of  rain  is  apparent,  and 
the  common  saying  "We  have  had  a  refreshing  shower,"  is  appre- 
ciated by  all.  A  shower  of  rain  has  been  known  frequently  to  stop 
epidemics,  particularly  of  cholera. 

The  lower  order  of  plants,  such  as  the  Lichens,  Mosses,  Ferns, 
&c.,  which  grow  entirely  at  the  expense  of  the  air  and  are  generally 
found  in  damp  and  shady  places,  gradually  form  a  soil  or  vegetable 
mould  during  their  life,  which  is  increased  by  their  decay,  while  the 
successive  generations  live  more  vigorously  upon  this  inheritance, 
being  supported  partly  by  what  they  draw  from  the  air  and  partly 
from  the  ancestral  accumulations  of  vegetable  mould.  It  is  in  this 
way  that,  what  are  called  the  useless  plants  create  a  soil  which  will  in 
time  support  the  higher  plants  of  immediate  importance  to  man  and 
other  mammalia,  but  which  could  never  grow  and  perfect  their 
fruits  if  left  like  their  humble  predecessors  to  derive  an  unaided 
subsistance  directly  from  the  inorganic  mould.  The  harmony  of 
nature  is  such  that  it  cannot  be  disturbed.     The   greater  part  of 


36  Public  Parks. 

Fungi  live  upon  decaying  organic  matter,  and  have  not  the  power 
of  forming  organizable  products  from  inorganic  material. 

We  now  come  to  that  part  of  vegetable  physiology  in  which  we 
are  most  interested.  Under  the  influence  of  light,  takes  place  the 
chemical  decomposition  of  one  or  more  substances  in  the  sap, 
liberating  the  oxygen  at  the  ordinary  temperature  of  the  air, 
and  transforming  the  mineral,  inorganic  food  into  organic  matter — 
the  organized  substance  of  living  plants  and  animals.  The  chief 
material  given  back  to  the  air  in  this  process  is  oxygen  gas,  that 
element  of  our  atmosphere  which  renders  it  fit  for  the  breathing  and 
life  of  animals.  That  the  foliage  of  plants  in  sunshine  is  continually 
yielding  oxygen  to  the  surrounding  air  has  been  known  since  the 
days  of  Ingenloup  and  Priestly.  By  exposing  a  few  freshly- 
gathered  leaves  to  the  sunshine,  in  a  glass  vessel  filled  with  water, 
air-bubbles  will  presently  arise  but  cease  to  appear  when  placed  in 
the  dark. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  all  leafy  plants  obtain  part  of  their  car- 
bonic acid  from  the  air,  for  when  a  current  of  carbonic  acid  gas  is 
made  slowly  to  traverse  a  glass  globe  containing  a  leafy  plant  exposed 
to  full  sunshine,  some  carbonic  acid  disappears,  and  an  equal  bulk  of 
oxygen  gas  supplies  its  place.  Carbonic  acid  gas  contains  just  its 
own  bulk  of  oxygen.  It  is  evident  that  what  has  thus  been  decom- 
posed in  the  leaves,  has  returned  all  its  oxygen  to  the  air.  Plants, 
therefore,  take  carbonic  acid,  directly  or  indirectly ;  they  retain  its 
carbon,  and  give  back  its  oxygen. 

Generally  speaking,  the  plants  may  be  said  to  be  in  a  passive  or 
or  state  of  rest  at  night,  sometimes  even  throwing  out  carbonic  acid 
and  consuming  oxygen,  and  this  is  undoubtedly  the  reason  why  more 
deaths  occur  at  night,  and  the  fatality  incident  to  epidemics  is 
greatest. 

In  fact  vegetation  is  the  only  operation  in  nature  which  gives  to 
the  air  free  oxygen  which  is  indispensable  to  animal  life,  as  all 
animals  consume  oxygen  at  every  moment  of  their  life,  giving  to  the 
air  carbonic  acid  in  its  room,  and  when  dead  their  bodies  consume  a 
further  portion  in  decomposition,  such  being  the  case  also  with 
vegetables.  While  animals  consume  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  and  give 
back  carbonic  acid  which  is  injurious  to  their  life,  this  carbonic  acid 
is  the  principle  element  of  the  food  of  vegetables,  is  consumed  and 
decomposed  by  them,  and  its  oxygen  returned  for  the  use  of  animals. 
Hence  the  perfect  adaptation  of  the  two  great  kingdoms  of  living 


Public  Parks.  37 

beings  to  each  other ;  each  removing  from  the  atmosphere  which 
would  be  noxious  to  the  other — each  yielding  to  the  atmosphere 
what  is  essential  to  the  continued  existence  of  the  other.*  Little  does 
man  think  how  dependent  he  is  upon  vegetation,  for  while  the 
vegetable  kingdom  is  entirely  independent,  and  might  have  existed 
alone,  yet  it  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  life  of  man.f 

I 

AQUATIC    VEGETATION. 

The  remarks  thus  far  made,  generally  apply  to  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  and  have  mainly  had  reference  to  the  higher  orders  of 
plants.  I  now  propose  to  advert  to  the  lower  orders  which  occur  in 
water,  both  fresh  and  salt,  and  play  the  same  part  in  the  economy  of 
nature  as  those  found  on  land.  They  have  been  found  in  countless 
myriads  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean,  far  down  as  the  plummet  has  yet 
sounded,  and  in  fact,  may  be  said  to  be  found  in  every  climate  under 
one  phase  or  another.  |    The  sea  teems  with  animal  life,  and  without 


*  Gray's  Structural  Botany. 

t  It  has  been  found  by  experiment  that  plants  will  thrive  in  ak  containing  more  carbonic  acid  than 
that  usually  found  in  the  atmosphere  when  exposed  to  a  strong  sun-light,  or  in  climates  where  the  solar 
light  is  not  much  obscured  by  clouds.  The  floating  islands  which  are  constantly  being  found  in  the  lake 
of  Solfatara,  in  Italy,  according  to  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  exhibit  a  striking  example  of  cryptogamic 
vegetation  in  an  atmosphere  impregnated  with  carbonic  acid.  These  islands  consist  chiefly  of  confervs 
and  other  simple  cellular  plants,  wliich  are  copiously  supplied  with  nutriment  by  carbonic  acid  tliat  is 
constantly  escaping  from  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  with  a  violence  that  gives  to  the  water  an  appearance  of 
ebullition.  Dr.  Schleiden,  Weigmati's  Archives,  183S,  mentions  that  the  vegetation  around  the 
springs  in  the  valley  of  Gottingen,  which  abound  in  carbonic  acid,  is  very  rich  and  luxuriant ;  appearing 
several  weeks  earlier  in  spring,  and  continuing  much  later  in  autumn,  than  at  other  spots  in  the  same 
district.  Humboldt  says  that  "exhalations  of  carbonic  acid  (mofettes)  are,  even  in  our  days,  to  be 
considered  as  the  most  important  gaseous  emanations,  with  respect  to  their  number  and  the  amount  of 
their  effusion.  We  see  in  Germany,  in  the  deep  valleys  of  Eifel,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lake  Laach,  in 
the  crater-like  valley  of  the  Wehr  of  Western  Bohemia,  exhalations  of  carbonic  acid  gas  manifest 
themselves  as  the  last  efforts  of  volcanic  activity,  in  or  near  the  foci  of  an  earlier  world.  In  these  earlier 
periods,  when  a  higher  terrestrial  temperature  existed,  and  when  a  great  number  of  fissures  remained 
unfilled,  the  processes  we  have  described  acted  more  powerfully,  and  carbonic  acid  and  hot  steam  were 
mixed  in  larger  quantities  in  the  atmosphere,  from  whence  it  follows,  as  Adolph  Brongniart  has 
\n%^xi\ovL^y  A\Q\sxi,fyci\}a^  Aiinales  ties  Scietices  Naturelles,)  \\\3.\.  the  primitive  vegetable  world  must 
have  exhibited,  almost  everywhere,  and  independently  of  geographical  position,  the  most  luxurious 
abundance  and  the  fullest  development  of  organism.  In  these  constantly  warm  and  damp  atmospheric 
strata,  saturated  with  carbonic  acid,  vegetation  must  have  attained  a  degree  of  vital  activity,  and  derived 
the  superabundance  of  nutrition  necessary  to  furnish  material  for  the  formation  of  the  beds  of  lignite, 
(coal,)  constituting  the  inexliaustible  means  on  which  are  based  the  physcial  power  and  prosperity  of 
nations."         #        #        # 

"That  portion  of  the  carbon  which  was  not  taken  up  by  the  alkaline  earths,  but  remained  mixed  with 
the  atmosphere  as  carbonic  acid,  was  gradually  consumed  by  the  vegetation  of  the  earlier  stages  of  the 
world,  so  that  the  atmosphere,  after  being  purified  by  the  processes  of  vegetable  life,  only  retained  the 
small  quantity  which  it  now  possesses,  and  which  is  not  injurious  to  the  present  organization  of  animal 
life." — Cosmos.  Daubney,  in  his  work  on  "Volcanoes,"  says,  speaking  of  the  Lake  of  Laach,  that 
"the  thickness  of  the  vegetation  on  the  sides  of  its  crater-like  basin,  renders  it  difficult  to  discover  the 
nature  of  the  subjacent  rock."  The  same  writer,  in  his  "  Report  to  the  British  Association,"  for  1849, 
of  experiments  made  by  him,  confirms,  to  a  great  extent,  the  ingenious  hypothesis  of  M.  Brongniart. 

t  Although  the  surface  of  the  ocean  is  less  rich  in  living  forms  than  that  of  continents,  it  is  not 
improbable  that  on  a  farther  investigation  of  its  depths,  its  mterior  may  be  found  to  possess  a  greater 
richness  of  organic  life  than  any  other  portion  of  our  planet.  Charles  Darwin,  in  the  agreeable  naiTative 
of  his  extensive  voyages,  justly  remarks  that  our  forests  do  not  conceal  so  many  animals  as  the  low, 
woody  regions  of  the  ocean,  where  the  sea-weed  rooted  to  the  bottom  of  the  shoals,  and  the  several 
branches  of  foci  loosened  by  the  force  of  the  waves  and  currents,  and  swimming  free,  unfold  their 
delicate  foliage,  upborne  by  air  cells. — Costnos. 


38  P7M{c  Parks. 

these,  vegetable  forms  they  could  not  live.*  They  keep  the  water 
pure,  and  yield  oxygen  to  the  atmosphere.  In  every  pool  and  stag- 
nant ditch,  under  the  influence  of  heat,  algae  are  quickly  produced, 
forming  the  green  scum  over  them,  w^hich  instead  of  being  injurious, 
are  beneficial,  and  emit  oxygen  in  the  shape  of  beads  that  can  be 
seen  on  any  sunny  day.  It  is  only  after  the  pool  is  dried,  and 
these  conferviE  are  wafted  away  by  the  wind,  that  places  of  this 
character  become  injurious.  The  amount  of  benefit  derived  from 
these  apparently  insignificant  plants,  is  great  when  we  take  into 
account  the  many  extensive  surfaces  of  water  dispersed  over  the 
world,  which  are  thus  kept  pure,  and  made  subservient  to  a  healthy 
state  of  the  atmosphere.  It  is  not  only  vast,  but  part  of  the  harmo- 
nious whole,  and  worthy  of  Him  who  has  appointed  even  to  the 
meanest  of  His  creatures,  something  to  do  for  the  good  of  His 
creation  ;f  and  well  may  it  be  said — 

"  Call  us  not  weeds,  we  are  the  flowers  of  the  sea." 
INFLUENCE    OF    VEGETATION,  PARTICULARLY  TREES,  UPON  HEALTH. 

Having  thus  shown  the  actions  and  reactions  which  take  place 
between  animal  and  vegetable  life,  and  how  dependent  the  former  is 
upon  the  latter,  we  propose  to  call  attention  to  a  series  of  facts, 
gathered  from  different  sources,  which  illustrate  in  a  marked  degree, 
the  application  of  these  principles,  clearly  proving  that  the  infection 
and  diffusion  of  malaria  or  noxious  emanations  are  arrested  by  trees, 
whose  structure  and  canopy  of  foliage  act  in  a  three-fold  capacity ; 
—  first  as  a  barrier  to  break  the  flow,  second  as  an  absorbent  of  those 
emanations,  and  third  as  eliminators  of  oxygen. 

Lancisi  cites  a  number  of  facts  showing  the  protection  afforded 
by  belts  of  trees  against  the  effects  of  malaria,  and  the  danger 
resulting  from  their  removal.  He  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that,  in 
former  days,  there  existed  on  the  south  side  of  Rome  a  thick  forest 
which  extended  from  Frascati  and  Albano  to  the  Tiber,  and  pi'otected 
the  southern  portion  of  the  city  and  the  neighboring  district  from 
the  baneful  influence  of  the  effluvia  of  the  Pontine  Marshes.     This 


*  "  The  parlor  aquarium  has  taught  even  those  to  whom  it  is  but  an  amusing  toy,  that  the  balance 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life  must  be  preserved,  and  that  excess  of  either  is  fatal  to  the  other,  in  the 
artificial  tank  as  well  as  in  natural  water.  A  few  years  ago,  the  water  of  the  Cochituate  Aqueduct,  at 
Boston,  became  so  offensive  in  smell  and  taste,  as  to  be  quite  unfit  for  use.  Scientific  investigation  found 
the  cause  in  the  scrupulous  care  with  which  aquatic  vegetation  had  been  excluded  from  the  reservoir, 
and  the  consequent  death  and  decay  of  the  animalculae  which  could  not  be  shut  out  nor  live  in  the  water 
without  the  the  vegetable  element." — Man  and  Nature:    Marsh. 

'^Contributions  to  the  History  of  Marine  AJgce  of  North  America:    Harvey- 


Public  Parks.  39 

rampart  has  since  been  removed,  and  the  country  has  become 
proverbial  for  its  unhealthiness.* 

Lancisi  did  not  for  a  moment  doubt  the  utiHty  of  these  belts,  and 
expresses  the  opinion  that  the  consecration  by  the  Ancients  of  woods 
and  groves  had  no  other  motive  than  guarding,  through  their  means, 
against  the  diffusion  of  the  febriferous  poison.  Among  the  Romans, 
the  advantage  of  such  barriers  had  long  been  recognized.  Trees 
were  planted  in  rows  and  masses  to  guard  against  the  diffusion  of 
malaria.  The  practice  was  enforced  by  law,  and  recorded  in  the 
Roman  tablets.  This  law,  which  was  reported  by  Cicero, — "  Lucos 
in  agris  habinto," — evidently  had  reference  much  more  to  the  advan- 
tage in  question  than  for  the  purposes  for  which  trees  are  usually 
planted.  In  order  to  insure  their  safety,  such  collections  of  trees 
were  placed  under  the  protection  of  some  divinity,  or  under  the 
responsibility  of  the  Roman  Consuls. 

Bapt.  Donus,  in  his  work  "  On  the  means  insuring  Salubrity  to 
the  Soil  of  the  Roman  States,"  recommends  the  planting  of  pine  and 
other  trees  between  Rome  and  the  Pontine  Marshes,  to  intercept  the 
miasmata  wafted  from  there  by  the  south-west  winds.  At  Velletri, 
as  also  at  Campo-Salino,  the  destruction  of  belts  of  woods  was 
followed  by  the  prevalence  of  fever.f 

Dr.  Lewis,  in  his  Medical  History  of  Alabama,  says,  "Mr.  P.  E. 
had  negro-quarters  situated  on  the  first  prairie  elevation  above  the 
low  lands  of  a  small  creek,  the  fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  houses. 
The  belt  of  low  ground  frequently  overflowed,  causing  water  to 
remain  in  holes  over  its  entire  breadth,  in  the  subsidence  of  the 
stream ;  but  it  was  well  shaded  by  a  dense  foliage,  the  plantation 
lying  on  the  prairie  in  the  rear  of  the  cabins.  In  the  winter  of  1843 
and  1843  the  trees  between  the  houses  and  creek  were  cleared  away, 
and  up  to  that  time,  some  eight  or  ten  years,  the  negroes  living  in 
this  quarter  had  enjoyed  uninterrupted  health — a  case  of  fever  scarcely 
occurring.  During  the  summer  of  1843,  the  first  after  the  forest  had 
been  cleared  away,  fever  prevailed  among  the  negroes  with  great 
violence,  continuing  until  frost.  The  negro-quarters  were  afterwards 
removed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  about  the  same  distance 
from  it,  but  with  an  intervening  growth  of  timber,  and  no  fever  has 
occurred  on  the  place  since."  \ 


*  La  Roche,  on  Pneumonia  and  Malaria. 

t  De  Restitueuda  Salubritate  Agri  Romani,  1667. 

%  New  Orleans  Journal. 


40 


Public  Parks. 


"Whole  families,"  says  Mr.  Bartlett,  "have  resided  near  the 
Pontine  Marshes,  and,  by  the  intenvention  of  shrubs  and  trees,  have 
escaped  for  years  the  noxious  effects  of  the  mephitic  vapors  v^hich 
these  putrid  waters  engender."*  Dr.  Hosack  states  that  a  famil}^ 
in  New  Jersey  was  attacked  with  fever  in  consequence  of  cutting 
down  a  wood  that  separated  them  from  a  morass  in  the  neighborhood. 
Befoi'e  the  operation  they  had  been  healthy. f  "Army  physicians, 
therefore,  recommend,"  says  Dr.  Wilson  Philip,  "having  a  wood,  if 
possible,  between  marshy  grounds  and  an  encampment."  %  Rigault 
de  Lisle  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that,  upon  Mount  Argental,  above 
the  village  of  St.  Stephano,  there  is  a  convent  which  has  lost  all  the 
reputation  for  salubrity  which  it  once  enjoyed,  since  the  lofty  trees, 
by  which  it  was  surrounded,  have  been  cut  down.  "  I  have  been 
informed,"  he  adds,  "by  persons  worthy  of  credit,  that  in  conse- 
quence of  the  felling  of  the  wood  before  Asterna,  near  the  Pontine 
Marshes,  Veletri  was  visited  for  three  successive  years  by  diseases 
which  made  much  greater  havoc  than  usual  throughout  the  whole 
country,  and  peneti^ated  to  many  places  which  they  had  not  pre- 
viously been  accustomed  to  reach.  Rigault  de  Lisle  cites  other 
cases,  and  refers  to  Volney,  who  states  that  Beyroot,  formerly  very 
unhealthy,  has  ceased  to  be  so  since  the  Emir  Fakr-el-din  planted  a 
wood  of  fir-trees,  which  still  exist,  a  league  below  the  town. 

By  Pliny  and  others,  among  the  Ancients,  it  was  supposed  that 
trees  absorb  the  exhalations  extricated  from  insalubrious  places,  and 
that  the  beneficial  effects  obtained  from  woods  are  to  be  accounted 
for  in  this  way  much  more  than  the  obstacles  they  offer  to  the  diffli- 
sion  of  these  exhalations.  This  opinion  has,  to  a  certain  extent, 
received  the  sanction  of  Thouvenelle,  Copland,  and  other  modern 
writers  ;  and  it  is  is  undoubtedly  correct,  as  the  results  of  certain 
experiments  made  long  ago,  and  ixpeated  more  recently,  prove. 
Dr.  Lewis,  of  Mobile,  says,  "It  is  the  received  opinion  that  living 
vegetation  protects  the  human  system  from  the  deleterious  effects 
of  malaria  ;  and,  reasoning  by  analogy,  it  would  appear  that  experi- 
inents  made  by  scientific  men  have  satisfactorily  explained  the  mutual 
dependence  of  the  animal  kingdoms  on  each  other  for  support.  It 
has  been  ascertained  that  if  air,  rendered  pernicious  by  respiration, 
be  confined  in  a  bottle,  into  which  some  green  plant  has  been  intro- 

*  Thompson's  ^«7;a/j. 
t  Practice  of  Medicine. 
X   Treatise  on  Feb.  Dis. 


Public  Parks.  41 

duced,  and  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  sun,  the  carbonic  acid  will 
be  absorbed,  and  the  air  restored  to  its  original  condition.  The 
putrefaction  of  animal  matter,  and  the  decomposition  of  vegetable 
substances,  would  cause  a  sufficiency  of  carbonic  acid  vapor,  when 
united  with  atmospheric  air,  to  destrov  every  living  being,  were 
it  not  for  this  wise  provision  of  nature.  This  gas,  which  is 
poisonous  to  the  human  as  well  as  animal  species,  is  a  source  of 
nutriment  to  every  variety  of  plants  ;  and  thus,  it  would  appear, 
exercises  a  benign  influence  in  protecting  man  from  the  deleterious 
effects  of  poisonous  vapors.  And  if  the  effect  is  obtained,  so  far  as 
regards  one  species  of  poisonous  vapor,  it  may  be  equally  so  in 
reference  to  that  giving  rise  to  fever."  * 

Dr.  Cartwright  ascribes  to  the  yussicea  gtandijlora.,  a  plant 
found  in  great  abundance  in  marshy  or  swampy  places  in  the 
Southern  States,  particularly  in  certain  regions  of  Louisiana,  which 
present  the  usual  characteristic  malarial  surfaces,  the  cause  of 
their  exemption  from  fever,  f  Aquatic  plants  and  those  found  in 
swampy  or  marshy  soils  while  growing,  exhale  a  large  quantity  of 
oxygen ;  but  when  they  have  their  growth,  this  action  ceases  and 
those  regions  become  imhealthy.  It  was  at  one  time  supposed  that 
no  ozone  could  be  found  in  swamps ;  but  I  have  discovered  its 
presence  in  June,  near  the  surface  of  the  water  of  a  lake  in  which 
the  Chara  were  growing  abundantly,  but  could  not  detect  it  in  the 
same  place  in  September.  It  has  also  been  ascertained  that  fish  are 
healthier  and  thrive  better  in  water  where  aquatic  plants  are  found 
than  where  they  are  absent. 

A  distinguished  natural  philosopher,  Changevix,  inferred  from 
the  results  of  his  experiments,  that  the  action  of  trees  in  producing 
the  effects  under  consideration,  is  two-fold.  "Plants,"  he  says, 
"whether  odoriferous  or  inodorous,  give  issue  to  emanations  which, 
when  mixed  with  poisonous  vapors  exhaling  from  marshy  or  damp 
soils,  neutralize  their  pernicious  influence.  But  the  former  exercise 
a  greater  effect  through  means  of  the  neutralizing  process  than  by 
the  power  of  absorption  just  mentioned,  their  emanations  mixing 
with  the  air  we  breathe  and  correcting  its  deleterious  properties  by 
virtue  of  the  particular  qualities  with  which  they  are  endowed. 
The  second  class — the  inodoriferous — on  the  other  hand,  act  more 
evidently  through  means  of  their  power  of  absorption  than  of  the 

*  Medical  History  of  Alabama, 
t   Western  Medical  Journal. 


4a 


Public  Parks. 


neutralizing  propei'ty  of  their  emanation,  and  remove  from  the  air 
the  vapors  by  which  it  is  contaminated."* 

M.  Carriere,  in  a  work  on  the  climate  of  Italy,  adopts  the  views 
of  Chevreul  and  Fontana,  in  relation  to  the  febrific  poison  through 
means  of  the  action  of  organic  matter  on  the  sulphates  contained  in 
the  earth,  or  in  water  with  the  aid  of  the  oxygen  derived  from  the 
former.  The  leaves  of  plants  and  of  trees,  as  well  as  the  green 
substances  that  cover  the  soil,  are  all  inexhaustible  sources  of 
oxygen,  which  is  so  important  to  sustain  life  and  preserve  health. 
"Hence,"  he  says,  "to  cover  the  fields,  the  edges  of  marshes  and 
the  whole  extent  of  the  soil  with  an  abundant  vegetation,  is  equal  to 
placing  on  the  surface  of  unhealthy  regions  a  reparative  apparatus 
of  the  greatest  power.  Trees,  therefore,  must  have  a  large  share 
in  the  amelioration  of  the  country,  in  consequence  of  the  quantity 
of  leaves  they  furnish."  t 

Others  have  supposed,  before  vegetable  physiology  was  as  well 
understood  as  at  this  time,  that  malaria  was  collected  by  plants, 
particularly  those  of  a  dense  and  entangling  foliage,  and  was 
disengaged  in  cutting  them  down  or  rooting  them  up,  thus  exciting 
fevers  and  disease.  Dr.  Ferguson,  calling  attention  to  the  atti"action 
of  marsh  poison  for,  or  rather  its  adherence  to,  lofty  umbrageous  trees, 
says  that  "this  is  so  much  the  case  that  it  can  with  difficulty  be 
separated  from  them  ;  and  that  in  the  territory  of  Guiana  particu- 
larly, where  these  trees  abound,  it  is  wonderful  to  see  how  near  to 
leeward  of  the  most  pestiferous  marshes  the  settlers,  provided  they 
have  this  security,  will  venture — and  that  with  comparative  impu- 
nity— to  place  their  habitations.  The  town  of  New  Amsterdam, 
Berbice,  situated  within  musket  shot  to  leeward  of  a  swamp 
extremely  offensive  at  a  certain  stage  of  dryness,  owes  evidently 
its  exemption  from  fever  to  this  cause."  "  A  still  better  instance  of 
the  same,  and  with  the  same  results,  may  be  seen  at  Paramaribo, 
the  capital  of  Surinam,  when  the  trade-wind,  that  regularly  venti- 
lates the  town  and  renders  it  habitable,  blows  over  a  swamp  within 
a  mile  of  the  town,  which,  fortunately  for  the  inhabitants,  is  covered 
with  the  same  description  of  trees."  \ 

"It  has  been  obsei-ved,"  says  Becqueral,  "that  humid  air, 
charged   with   miasmata,  is  deprived    of  them   in   passing  through 

*  Journal  de  Physique. 
t  Le  Climat  de  V Italie. 
%  Marsh  Poison. 


Public  Parks.        '  43 

the  forest.  Rigaud  de  Lisle  obsei-ved  localities  in  Italy  where  the 
interposition  of  a  screen  of  trees  preserved  everything  beyond  it, 
while  the  unprotected  grounds  were  subject  to  fevers."*  The 
belief  that  rows  of  trees  afford  an  important  protection  against 
malarious  influences  is  very  general  among  Italians  best  qualified  by 
intelligence  and  professional  experience,  to  judge  upon  the  subject. 
The  commissioners  appointed  to  report  on  the  measures  to  be 
adopted  for  the  improvement  of  the  Tuscan  Maremme  advised  the 
planting  of  three  or  four  rows  of  poplars,  in  such  directions  as  to 
obstruct  the  currents  of  air  from  malarious  localities,  and  thus  intercept 
a  great  proportion  of  the  pernicious  exhalations."  |  Lieutenant 
Maury  believed  that  a  few  rows  of  sun-flowers,  planted  between  the 
Washington  Obsei"vatory  and  the  marshy  banks  of  the  Potomac,  had 
saved  the  inmates  of  that  establishment  from  the  intermittent  fever, 
to  which  they  had  been  formerly  liable.  These  experiments  have 
been  repeated  in  Italy.  Large  plantations  of  sun-flowers  have  been 
made  upon  the  alluvial  deposits  of  the  Oglio,  above  its  entrance 
into  the  lake  of  Iseo,  near  Pisogne,  and  it  is  said  with  beneficial 
eflects.  I 

"In  Southern  Burmah  the  inhabitants  place  their  houses  under 
trees  with  the  best  effect,  and  it  was  a  rule  with  the  Romans  to 
encamp  their  men  under  trees  in  all  hot  countries."  § 

Many  more  instances  of  a  like  character  might  be  adduced  that 
have  occurred  in  this  country,  particularly  in  the  West.  In  the 
settlement  of  all  new  countries  much  sickness  follows,  owing  to  the 
destruction  of  the  trees  and  the  upturning  of  the  vegetable  mould 
which  has  for  ages  been  collecting  and  lying  dormant,  and  thus 
exposed  by  the  influence  of  heat  and  light  to  decomposition.  The 
"  balance  of  nature, "  as  Dumas  significantly  expresses  it,  "  is 
destroyed,"  and  as  a  necessary  consequence  the  harmony  is  disturbed, 
and  sickness  and  death  are  the  result  to  the  disturbers.  All  the 
operations  of  nature  tend  to  produce  unity  and  harmony  in  their 
results  ;  and  whenever  man  interferes  with  that  order,  it  is  at  the 
expense  of  his  health  and  well-being. 

While  preparing  an  article  on  cholera,  as  it  appeared  at  Burling- 
ton, Iowa,  in  1850,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  what  I  could  not  but 
regard  as  the  preventive  influence  of  trees.     In  the  houses  on  the 


*  Becqueral,  Des  Climats. 

t  Salvagnoli,  Rapporto  sul  Bonificamenio  delle  Marennne  Toscane. 

X  II  Politecnico,  Milano,  1863. 

§  Parkes'  Practical  Hygiene. 


AA  Public  Parks. 

west  side  of  Main  Street,  north  of  Court,  more  deaths  took  place 
than  in  any  other  portion  of  the  city  ;  and  that  more  occurred  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  inmates  in  every  other  house,  than  in 
the  one  in  front  of  which  were  trees ;  and  what  is  still  more  con- 
vincing, the  natural  predisposition  to  cholera  existed  to  a  greater 
extent  among  the  inmates  of  this  house,  than  in  any  other.  Another 
and  more  striking  instance  occurred  in  the  two  houses  nearest  the 
"  Old  Saw  Mill."  The  house  adjoining  the  mill  was  surrounded  by 
trees  and  not  one  of  the  occupants  suffered  from  cholera ;  while,  in 
the  other  house,  which  was  exposed  and  stood  upon  the  bank  of  the 
Mississippi,  three  deaths  took  place  ;  and  what  is  more  to  the  point  is, 
that  the  family  which  escaped,  were  new-comers  and  suffering  frojn 
nostalgia  and  the  effects  of  a  change  of  climate,  which  act  as  a 
predisposing  and  exciting  cause  of  the  disease  ;  while  those  who 
lived  in  the  other  house,  were  old  residents,  and  had  been  thoroughly 
acclimated.  Dr.  Buckler  notices  similar  facts  in  his  account  of  the 
cholera  as  it  appeared  in  the  Baltimore  Aims-House,  in  1S49. 

In  the  summer  of  1852,  the  trees  on  the  high  bluff' in  the  northern 
part  of  Burlington,  were  cut  down.  It  was  not  until  the  months  of 
August,  September,  and  October,  of  the  following  year,  that  any 
apparent  effect  of  this  destruction  of  the  trees  took  place,  when  nearly 
all  who  lived  in  that  portion  of  the  city  suffered  with  fevers,  and 
several  of  them  died. 

During  the  late  war  of  the  Rebellion,  much  of  the  sickness  of  the 
army  of  the  Potomac  in  the  summer,  autumn,  and  winter  of  1861, 
while  encamped  near  Washington,  was  the  result  of  the  destruction  of 
the  trees  for  purposes  of  defence,  as  a  military  necessity,  and  for  the 
use  of  the  troops.  The  same  was  also  noticed  in  Louisiana,  where 
troops  had  been  encamped  for  some  time,  and  many  trees  were  cut 
down.  This  was  strikingly  illustrated  at  Port  Hudson,'  where,  for 
purposes  of  defence,  the  rebels  cut  down  nearly  all  the  timber 
adjoining  the  outer  fortification.  It  became  necessary,  in  several 
places,  to  cut  down  more  by  our  troops,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
the  effect  was  quite  marked  in  the  increase  of  sickness,  exclusive  of 
casualties,  in  the  regiments  camped  upon  or  near  this  ground. 

TREES    MODIFY    CLIMATE. 

We  next  propose  to  consider  how  far  trees  modify  climate.  Their 
shafts  may  be  i-egarded  as  so  many  pipes  for  conveying  heat  from 
the  earth  to  the  air  in  winter,  and  from  the  air  to  the  earth  in  the 


Public  Parks.  45 

summer  ;  and  this  effect  in  modifying  the  range  of  temperature,  as 
indicated  by  repeated  experiments,  is  far  from  being  insignificant. 
In  summer,  plants  and  trees,  in  addition  to  their  conducting  powers, 
render  the  atmosphere  cooler  by  the  great  quantity  of  water  that  is 
exhaled  from  the  leaves  during  foliation.  Hales  found  that  a  sun- 
flower tliree  and  one-half  feet  high,  with  a  surface  of  5.616  square 
inches,  exposed  to  the  air,  perspired  at  the  rate  of  twenty  to  thii'ty 
ounces  avoirdupois  every  twelve  hours,  or  seventeen  times  more  than 
a  man.*  A  vine  with  twelve  square  feet  of  foliage  exhales  at  the  rate 
of  five  or  six  ounces  a  day ;  and  a  seedling  apple-tree,  with  eleven 
square  feet  of  foliage,  lost  nine  ounces  a  day. 

An  experiment,  performed  by  Bishop  Watson,  will  assist  in 
giving  an  idea  of  the  extraordinary  amount  of  change  effected  by 
this  function  in  plants.  He  placed  an  inverted  glass  vessel,  of  the 
capacit}''  of  twenty  cubic  inches,  on  grass  v\^hich  had  been  cut  during 
a  very  intense  heat  of  the  sun,  and  after  many  weeks  had  passed 
without  rain ;  in  two  minutes  it  was  filled  with  vapor  which 
trickled  down  its  sides.  He  collected  these  drops  on  a  piece  of 
muslin,  which  he  carefully  weighed  ;  and  repeating  the  experiment 
for  several  days,  between  twelve  and  three  o'clock,  he  estimated  as 
the  results  of  his  inquiries,  that  an  acre  of  grass  transpires  in 
twenty-four  hours,  not  less  than  6,400  quarts  of  vv^ater.  This  is 
probably  an  exaggerated  statement,  as  the  amount  transpired  during 
the  period  of  the  day  in  which  the  experiment  was  tried,  is  far 
greater  than  any  other,  f 

When  we  consider  the  vast  perspiring  surface  presented  by 
a  large  tree  in  full  leaf,  it  is  evident  that  the  watery  vapor  it 
exhales  is  immense.  "  The  Washington  Elm,"  at  Cambridge,  a  tree 
of  no  extraordinary  size,  was  some  years  ago  estimated  to  produce 
a  crop  of  seven  millions  of  leaves,  exposing  a  surface  of  200,000 
square  feet,  or  about  five  acres  of  foliage.  % 

The  refreshing  coolness,  then,  of  a  grove  on  a  hot  summer  day  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at ;  and  how  often  have  we,  while  enjoying  it, 
inquired  what  was  the  cause,  simply  supposing  it  was  the  result  of 
shade.  This  exhalation  is  dependent  on  the  capacity  of  the  air  for 
moisture,  at  the  time,  and  the  presence  of  the  sun,  while  frequently  it 
is  scarcely  perceptible  at  night. 

*   Vegetable  Statics. 

t  Carpenter's  Comparative  Physiology. 

X  Gray, —  "How  Plants  Grow.'' 


46  Public  Parks. 

In  like  manner,  trees  act  as  conductors  of  heat  from  the  earth  in 
winter,  because  the  surrounding  atmosphere  is  cooler  than  the  eai-th 
in  which  they  grow.  It  is  true  that  the  conducting  power  of  wood 
is  slow,  which  is  much  less  transversely,  to  the  direction  of  its  fibre, 
than  with  it,*  which  would  prevent  the  interior  of  a  large  trunk  from 
being  rapidly  affected  by  the  change  in  the  heat  of  the  external  air ; 
and  accordingly,  it  is  found  that  the  larger  the  trunk  in  which  the 
observation  is  made,  the  greater  the  difference.!  Trees  possess  a 
specific  temperature  of  their  own,  independent  of  their  conducting 
power, — an  organic  activity  for  generating  heat,  like  that  with  which 
the  warm-blooded  animals  are  gifted,  though  by  a  different  process, 
which  has  undoubtedly  some  influence  in  estimating  the  action 
of  the  forest  upon  atmospheric  temperature.  The  range  of  trees, 
apart  from  moisture,  is  restricted  by  temperature,  and  they  have  the 
power  of  withstanding  the  ordinary  changes  which  take  place  during 
the  year ;  but  there  are  cycles  of  cold  when,  in  certain  species,  the 
internal  heat  is  overcome,  and,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  the  life 
of  the  tree  is  destroyed.  This  is  also  shown  in  the  protection  that  is 
necessary  to  young  trees  that  are  cultivated,  to  prevent  their  being 
destroyed  by  the  ordinary  winter  temperature,  owing  to  their  vitality 
being  insufficient  to  resist  the  depressing  effect  of  cold  ;  and  such  is 
also  the  case  with  young  forest  trees,  as  they  will  not  grow  unless 
protected  by  other  and  larger  trees.  It  will  therefore  be  seen  that 
the  same  law  obtains  in  the  vegetable  as  in  the  animal  kingdom. 

After  the  leaves  fall  in  the  autumn,  the  rootlets  continue  to  collect 
sap,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  some,  motion  of  the  sap  takes  place 
even  in  winter,  although  the  tree  may  be  said  to  be  asleep,  as  there 
is  in  reality  only  a  diminution  in  the  activity  of  its  vital  processes, 
which  is  a  characteristic  of  all  living  beings,  some  heat  must  be 
evolved,  which  is  greatly  increased  when  the  sap  begins  to  flow 
actively  and  the  terminal  buds  begin  to  swell.  \  It  will,  therefore,  be 
seen  that  trees  are  the  source  of  heat,  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  they 
act  mechanically  in  checking  the  force  and  movement  of  the  winds, 
and  thus  cause  the  atmosphere  surrounding  them  to  be  milder  and 
less  subject  to  sudden  changes  of  temperature.  It  is  the  uninter- 
rupted sweep  of  the  winds,  rather  than  the  intensity  of  the  cold, 
which  abstracts  from  the  vital  energy  of  the  system.     The  trapper 

•  Dr.  Tyndall,  Phil.  Transact.,  1853. 
t  \  Carpenter's  Comparative  Physiology. 


Public   Parks.  47 

in  the  Hudson's  Bay  region,  amid  the  stillness  of  the  forest,  day  after 
day,  pursues  his  accustomed  round  with  the  thermometer  many 
degrees  below  zero,  with  little  or  no  inconvenience  ;  and  so,  too, 
with  the  lumberman  in  the  pineries  of  Maine  and  Wisconsin.  The 
human  system  is  constantly  giving  out  a  volume  of  heat,  which  is 
abstracted  more  readily  by  the  movement  of  the  air  than  by  mere 
radiation  into  space.  This  deprivation  of  carbonaceous  matter,  and 
the  chilling  and  exhausting  effect  incident  thereto,  is  but  too  well 
known  and  appreciated  by  the  prairie  traveler  in  winter.  The  same 
effect  is  apparent  in  operating  a  locomotive  during  very  cold  or 
windy  weather,  as  it  is  found  much  easier  to  keep  up  steam  while  the 
engine  is  passing  through  woods  than  over  the  wind-swept  ground, 
although  the  thermometer  may  indicate  the  same  temperature.  As 
soon  as  the  train  emerges  from  the  shelter  of  the  trees,  the  steam- 
gauge  falls,  and  a  more  liberal  supply  of  fuel  is  necessary  to  bring 
it  up  again.* 

"  Observation  shows,"  says  Meguscher,  "  that  the  wood  of  a 
living  tree  maintains  a  temperature  of  from  54°  to  56^  Fah.,  when 
the  temperature  stands  from  37°  to  47°  Fah.  above  zero,  and  that 
the  internal  warmth  does  not  rise  and  fall  in  proportion  to  that  of  the 
atmosphere.  So  long  as  the  latter  is  below  67'^  Fah.,  that  of  the 
tree  is  always  highest,  but  if  the  temperature  of  the  air  rises  to  67*^ 
Fah.,  that  of  the  vegetable  growth  is  the  lowest.  Since,  then,  trees 
maintain  at  all  seasons  a  constant  mean  temperature  of  54*^  Fah.,  it 
is  easy  to  see  why  the  air  in  contact  with  the  forest  must  be  warmer 
in  winter,  and  cooler  in  summer,  than  in  situations  where  it  is 
deprived  of  that  influence."  f 

While  engaged  in  investigating  the  nature  of  ozone,  during  the 
winters  of  1851  and  1S52,  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  I  found  that  there 
was  a  difference  of  temperature  between  the  western  or  Iowa  bank 
of  the  Mississippi,  (the  wind  was  from  the  west,  and  the  river  frozen 
at  the  time,)  and  the  eastern  or  Illinois  side,  of  2"",  and  penetrating 
the  heavy  forest  that  covered  the  bottom  at  that  time,  I  found  the 
temperature  rising,  initil  I  reached  about  midway  between  the  river 
and  the  prairie,  where  I  found  the  temperature  16°  higher,  and  it 
began  to  lower  again  upon  approaching  the  edge  of  the  prairie, 
although  the  wind  was  from  the  west,  and,  arrived  at  the  prairie,  I 
found  the  thermometer  4°  lower  than  in  the  middle  of  the  timber. 


*  In  applying  to  the  most  prominent  Railroad  Superintendents  of  this  city,  their  statement  is 
unanimous,  that  during  winter  a  far  greater  amount  of  fuel  is  consumed  by  a  locomotive  running  through 
a  prairie  region  than  through  one  that  is  densely  wooded. 

t  Mentoria  s-ui  Boschi  di  Lotnhardina. 


48  Public  Parks. 

During  the  last  six  weeks,  I  liave  had  three  daily  observations 
made  of  the  temperature  at  the  western,  the  middle,  and  the  eastern 
portions  of  Wright's  Grove,  in  the  northern  part  of  Chicago.  I  find 
as  a  general  rule  that  the  difference  between  the  three  points  depends 
upon  the  direction  of  the  wind,  and  the  sudden  changes  of  temperature  ; 
the  middle  point  being  less  affected,  and  ranging  from  one  to  seven 
degrees  higher  than  either  of  the  others.  Some  days  there  was  no 
change  perceptible  in  the  three  points,  depending  upon  temperature 
and  the  activity  of  the  wind.  The  period  over  which  the  observa- 
tions extend  has  been  remarkably  mild,  and  one  in  which  no  sudden 
or  great  changes  have  taken  place. 

In  comparing  these  observations  with  others  made  near  the  Ar- 
tesian Well  in  the  western  part  of  the  City,  I  find  that  only  upon  one 
occasion  in  a  month,  was  the  temperature  as  low  as  at  the  Well,  while 
it  ranged  from  one  to  nine  degrees  higher.  In  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber the  thermometer,  at  119  Randolph  St.,*  indicated  10°  below  zero  ; 
at  the  x\rtesian  Well,  17  ;t  at  the  Observatory,  14  ;J  and  at  Wright's 
Grove,  1 2  ;  at  the  same  time,  the  wind  being  from  the  south-west. 

Trees  and  plants  exercise  a  marked  influence  on  the  humidity  of 
the  air,  causing  its  moisture  to  be  more  equally  distributed.  They 
also  act  as  excitors  or  conductors  of  electricity,  §  and  it  is  supposed 
in  countries  where  hail  storms  are  frequent  and  destructive,  that  they 
occur  in  proportion  as  the  forests  have  been  cleared.  ||  "Electrical 
action  being  diminished,"  says  Meguscher,  "  and  the  rapid  congela- 
tion of  vapoi-s  by  the  abstraction  of  heat  being  impeded  by  the 
influence  of  the  woods,  it  is  rare  that  hail  or  water-spouts  are  produced 
within  the  precincts  of  a  large  forest  when  it  is  assailed  by  the 
tempest."  %  May  not  the  tornadoes  which  were  so  common  throughout 
the  North-west  several  years  ago,  be  owing  to  our  treeless  prairies .'' 

Trees  may  be  regarded  as  climatological  land-marks,  **  the 
destruction  of  which  causes  changes  that  may  be  restored  by  planting 
them.     It  is  a  well  established  fact  that  the  climate  of  the  older  States 


*  J.  G.   Langguth. 

t  Wm.  Giles. 

:  Prof.  Safford. 

§  Pouillet,  ''''  Annates  de  Chimie" 

II  Le  A  Ipi  die  cingono  V Italia. 

IT  Metnoria  stti  Boschi,  etc. 

**  It  has  been  a  reproach  to  the  aristocracy  of  England,  that  in  a  country  where  the  agricultural 
capacity  of  the  soil  is  so  limited,  and  vvliere  population  presses  so  closely  on  the  heels  of  production, 
that  vast  tracts  of  land  suitable  for  agriculture,  should  be  appropriated  to  forests  and  the  chase  ;  but 
those  who  make  this  charge,  are  little  aware  of  the  important  part  which  these  forests  play  in  the 
climatology  and  health  of  the  British  Isles.  They  do  not  appreciate  that  forests  make  the  atmosphere 
purer,  and  render  the  climate  more  equable,  thus  protecting  them  from  sudden  changes,  and  diminishing 
the  amount  of  fuel  and  clothing  necessary  to  their  comfort, 


Public  Parks.  49 

has  undergone  a  marked  change  in  consequence  of  the  destruction 
of  the  forests  ;*  viz.,  in  the  greater  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  and  in 
the  perennial  flow  of  the  springs.  This  is  manifest  in  its  influence 
on  man,  in  the  altered  character  of  the  diseases,  and  also  by  the  fact, 
that  many  manufacturing  establishments  which,  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago,  had  a  water-power  ample  at  all  seasons  to  drive  their  machinery, 
are  now  compelled  to  resort,  during  the  summer  months,  to  the 
auxiliary  aid  of  the  steam-engine. 

Trees  are  the  highest  type  of  vegetable  life,  and  in  many 
respects  the  greatest  of  living  forms.  What  more  imposing  than  one 
of  the  these  monarchs  of  the  forest,  like  the  Sequoia  of  the  Nevada 
Slope,  towering  up  into  the  upper  air  for  400  feet,  and  with  a  shaft  30 
feet  or  more  in  diameter  at  the  base  !  And  then  too,  their  antiquity. 
How  many  generations  of  men  have  disappeared,  since  first  the  germ 
of  such  a  tree  burst  its  seed-vessel !  Kit.  North,  than  whom  no  one  had 
a  keener  eye  to  the  grandeur  of  the  external  world,  thus  speaks  of 
these  vegetable  forms  : 

'^  Trees  are  indeed  the  glory,  the  beautv  and  delight  of  nature. 
The  man  who  loves  not  trees — to  look  at  them,  to  lie  under  them — 
to  climb  up  them  (once  more  a  school  boy) — would  make  no  bones 
of  murdering  Mrs.  Jefts.  In  what  one  imaginable  attribute,  that  it 
ought  to  possess,  is  a  tree,  pray,  deficient?  Light,  shade,  shelter, 
coolness,  freshness,  music,  all  the  colors  of  the  rain-bow,  dew  and 
dreams  dropping  through  their  umbrageous  twilight,  at  eve  or  morn, 
dropping  direct — soft,  sweet,  soothing  and  restorative  from  heaven. 
Without  trees,  how  in  the  name  of  wonder  could  we  have  had  houses, 
ships,  bridges,  easy  chairs  or  coffins,  or  almost  any  single  one  of  the 
necessaries  of  life.  Without  trees,  one  man  might  have  been  born 
with  a  silver  spoon  in  his  mouth,  but  not  another  with  a  wooden 
ladle. 

'•Tree,  by  itself,  tree,  'such  tents  the  patriarchs  loved.'  Ipse 
nemus  '  the  brotherhood  of  trees  ' — the  Grove,  the  Coppice,  the 
Wood,  the  Forest — dearly  and  after  a  different  fashion,  do  we  love 
you  all !  And  love  you  all  we  shall,  while  our  dim  eyes  can  catch 
the  glimmer,  our  dull  ear  the  murmur  of  the  leaves,  or  our  imagination 
hear  at  midnight  the  far-off'  swing  of  old  branches  groaning  in  the 
tempest.  Oh  !  is  it  not  merry,  also  sylvan  England  }  And,  has  not 
Scotland,  too,  her  old   pine    forests,    blackening   up    her    highland 

*  It  has  been  observed  in  Sweden,  that  the  spring,  in  many  districts  where  the  forests  have  been 
cleared  off,  now  comes  on  a  fortnight  later  than  in  the  last  century. — AsbjOrsen,  Otn  Shovene  i  Neye. 


5o  Public  Parks. 

mountains?  Are  not  many  of  our  rivered  valleys  not  unadorned 
witli  woods — her  braes  beautiful  with  their  birkin  shaws  ?  And  does 
not  stately  ash,  or  sycamore,  tower  above  the  kirk-spire,  in  many  a 
quiet  glen,  overshadowing  the  humble  house  of  God,  the  dial  stone, 
aged  and  green,  and  all  the  deep  sunk,  sinking,  or  upright  array  of 
grave-stones,  beneath  which* 

'The  rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep.'  " 


LOCAL  CONDITIONS. 

We  now  come  to  consider  the  local  conditions  by  which  we  are 
surrounded,  both  terrestial  and  atmospheric,  in  connection  with  their 
influence  upon  man,  particularly  in  causing  disease.  In  these  are 
included  the  topography,  nature  of  soil,  temperature,  winds,  rains, 
and  humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  all  being  more  or  less  intimately 
connected,  as  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  surface  controls  the 
atmosphere,   as  much    as   the  atmosphere  controls  the  surface. 

Chicago  is  situated  in  latitude  41"  52',  longitude  78°  35',  and  is 
591  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  surface  is  nearly  a  flat  level 
and  treeless  plain,  on  the  south-western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan. 
The  highest  point  above  the  level  of  the  Lake  for  fifteen  miles  north, 
is  38  feet,t  and  south-east  for  the  same  distance,  33  feet,J  near  the 
Chicago  University;  from  thence  there  is  a  gradual  descent  to  the 
Calumet,  when  the  ground  gradually  rises.  Directly  south  of  the  city 
the  surface  is  almost  level,  as  the  highest  point  in  sixteen  miles  is 
only  22  feet.§  The  topography  south-west  is  still  more  remarkable, 
as  for  twenty  miles,  the  highest  point  above  the  level  of  the  lake  is 
at  Summit,  only  10  feet,  where  the  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence  run 
north-east.  From  the  Summit  there  is  a  gradual  descent,  until  the 
ground  is  lower  than  the  surface  of  the  lake.  At  twenty  miles 
it  is  only  i  foot  above  the  lake.  ||  Three  miles  directly  west, 
the  surface  is  17  feet;  five  miles,  20  feet;  seven  miles,  27 
feet ;  at  Austin,  where  no  doubt  was  once  the  shore  of  the  lake, 
and  continuing  z\  miles  farther  at  Hai'lem,   we   find   an  elevation 

*  "Nodes  Ambrosiance." 

t  Milwaukee  R.  R. 

X  City  Engineer. 

§  Rock  Island  R.  R. 

II  Alton  &  St.  Louis  R.  R. 


Public  Parks.  51 

of  48  feet,  the  highest  point  in  any  direction  within  ten  miles 
of  Chicago.  Continuing  to  the  Des  Plaines  there  is  a  descent, 
the  bottom  of  the  river  being  26  feet ;  then  there  is  a  marked 
increase  in  the  ascent,  so  that  at  fifteen  miles  the  surface  is  102,  and 
at  twenty  miles  125  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake.*  North-west  of 
the  city,  at  four  miles,  we  only  find  an  elevation  of  10  feet ;  at  seven 
miles  of  27  feet,  where  we  again  strike  the  original  lake  shore  ;  at 
ten  miles,  40  feet ;  at  eleven  miles,  65  feet ;  at  twelve  miles,  82  feet ; 
from  this  point  there  is  a  gradual  descent  to  Des  Plaines  River,  where 
the  elevation  is  33  feet ;  thence  the  ascent  is  gradual  and  at  twenty 
miles  distant  it  is  96  feet.f  It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  the 
highest  point  within  five  miles  of  the  mouth  of  Chicago  River,  in  any 
direction,  is  only  23  feet,  and  for  ten  miles,  48  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  lake  ;  and  that  a  large  portion  of  this  ground  is  low  and  swampy, 
with  but  little  surface  drainage,  and  an  average  elevation  of  about  12 
feet.  As  a  necessary  consequence,  as  in  all  plains,  great  and  sudden 
changes  of  moisture  and  temperature  take  place.  The  winds,  meet- 
ing with  no  obstruction,  have  full  sweep  ;  in  fact,  the  topography  of 
the  surroundings  of  the  city  tends  to  this  result,  favoring  even  the 
prevailing  winds  of  this  latitude.  The  only  interruption  in  this  open 
plain  to  the  winds,  may  be  said  to  be  the  narrow  belt  of  timber  on 
the  Des  Plaines,  and  with  here  and  there  an  occasional  patch  of  thinly 
covered  wood-land,  on  the  elevations  which  once  were  the  shores 
of  the  lake.  With  this  exception,  the  open  plain  may  be  said  to  con- 
tinue for  a  great  distance  north-west,  west,  and  south-west.  It  is  true, 
timber  is  scattered  north  and  south,  but  unfortunately  not  enough  to 
materially  influence  the  climate,  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  the 
winds  are  rarely  from  either  direction.  In  an  area  of  400  square 
miles  surrounding  Chicago,  there  are  only  about  20  square  miles 
thinly  covered  with  timber ;  ten  of  these  are  found  on  the  north  side 
of  the  city,  and  along  the  North  Branch  of  Chicago  River ;  five 
south  and  south-east ;  and  ten  on  the  ridges  six  miles  west,  and  in 
tlie  valley  of  Des  Plaines  River. 

LAKE    MICHIGAN. 

Of  all  the  local  conditions  that  obtain  at  Chicago,  none  exercise 
a  greater  influence  on  the  climate  than  Lake  Michigan.  It 
moderates  the  extreme  cold  of  winter,  and  the  oppressive  heat  of 
summer ;     increases    the    humidity    of    the    atmosphere,   and   tlie 

•  Northwestern  R.  R. 
t  Galena  R.  R. 


^2   ,  Public  Parks. 

quantity  of  rain  that  falls,  and  causes  local  currents  of  air,  thus 
partially  changing  the  prevailing  winds  of  this  latitude,  producing 
necessarily  local  changes  of  temperature.  These  local  undulations 
are  most  marked  in  the  spring,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  specific 
heat  of  land  is  only  one-quarter  that  of  water,  and  it  both  absorbs 
and  gives  it  out  more  rapidly ;  while  water,  on  the  other  hand, 
absorbs  it  more  slowly,  stores  up  a  greater  quantity,  and  parts  with 
it  less  readily,  owing,  no  doubt  to  the  difference  in  the  conducting 
and  radiating  properties  of  both.  It  is  mainly  owing  to  this  fact 
that  our  springs  are  so  cold,  raw,  and  long  continued  ;  that  is,  the 
water  is  not  as  soon  heated  as  the  land,  thus  giving  rise  to  local 
changes  of  temperature,  and  of  winds.  In  the  autumn  the  heat 
of  the  water  is  less  readily  abstracted  than  that  of  the  land,  thus 
causing  the  temperature  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  lake  to  be 
milder  than  even  at  localities  further  south  and  west,  as,  during 
last  September,  October,  and  November,  the  mean  temperature 
of  Springfield,  was  nearly  the  same  as  at  Chicago.*  This  was  no 
doubt  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  temperature  of  the  lake  was  more 
than  ordinarily  high  in  July  and  August ;  as,  on  July  20th,  the  ther- 
mometer indicated  72°t  at  a  depth  of  thirty  feet,  while  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  air,  on  the  same  day,  was  83%  and  even 
later  the  extraordinary  warmth  of  the  water  that  passed  through 
the  Tunnel  attracted  attention,  and  it  was  supposed  that  the  water 
supplied  to  the  city,  did  not  come  through  the  Tunnel,  and  that  an 
accident  had  occurred,  and  the  supply  was  being  pumped  up  from 
near  the  shore.  The  mean  temperature  of  the  lake  is  no  doubt  the 
same  as  that  of  the  land  for  the  year,  differing  only  in  the  absorbing 
and  parting  power  of  heat ;  as  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the 
freezing  point  only  obtains  a  short  distance  from  the  shore.  It  will 
therefore  be  seen  how,  for  eight  months  of  the  year,  and  sometimes 
even  nine,  the  lake  exercises  a  wholesome  inffuence  upon  the  health, 
counteracting,  to  some  extent,  the  great  and  sudden  changes  incident 
to  our  level  and  open  topography,  while  during  the  remaining 
months  it  is  injurious  to  health,  on  account  of  the  cold  and  chilling 
eflfect  it  has,  in  addition  to  causing  sudden  changes.  Owing  to  its 
large  evaporating  surface,  it  supplies  a  large  amount  of  the  oxygen 
that  is  consumed  here,  thus  purifying  the  atmosphere. 


*  A gricuUural  Bureau  Reports. 
t  Langguth. 


Public  Parks.  53 

GEOLOGY. 

The  geological  structure  of  the  region  embracing  Chicago  and  the 
surrounding  country  is  exceedingly  simple.  The  underlying  rock 
is  the  Niagara  limestone  which  has  a  general  dip  to  N.  N.  E.,  and 
consequently  sinks  deeper  as  traced  lake-ward.  This  rock  is  seen  at 
the  surface  at  several  points  in  the  city  and  vicinity.  Upon  this  floor 
was  originally  deposited  a  mass  of  blue  clay,  not  less  than  one 
hundred  feet  in  thickness,  but  as  traced  toward  the  former  i"im  of  the 
lake  it  rapidly  thins  out.  This  rim  is  clearly  defined  in  one  or  more 
terraces,  which  are  traceable  from  the  head  of  the  lake  far  into 
Indiana,  but  to  the  west  of  the  city  8^  miles  distant,  at  Harlem,  they 
constitute  the  divide  between  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  and  the 
Mississippi.  While  the  lake  has  receded  far  below  its  former  level, 
it  has  left  behind  a  series  of  sand  ridges,  the  intervals  between  which 
are  occupied  by  ponds,  which  by  reason  of  the  sluggish  flow  of  the 
water  and  their  sheltered  position,  have  proved  favorable  to  the 
growth  of  peat-producing  plants,  from  whose  decay  have  resulted 
large  accumulations  of  humus  or  vegetable  matter.  It  is  upon  this 
ancient  lake-bed  that  the  city  is  founded.  The  original  surface  was 
diversified  by  sand  banks,  most  abundant  along  the  lake  shore 
extending  occasionally  to  the  depth  of  16  feet,  by  partly  filled 
lagoons,  and  a  vegetable  mould  (which  covers  the  greater  portion 
of  the  city),  resting  sometimes  on  blue  clay,  and  sometimes  on 
beds  of  sand  and  gravel,  and  occasionally  mixed,  —  the  depth  of 
these  being  governed  by  their  proximity  to  the  Chicago  river  and  its 
branches.  The  whole  region  was  originally  low,  flat  and  ill-drained. 
Some  of  the  business  blocks  are  built  upon  partly  filled  lagoons.  In 
the  soundings  made  by  Mr.  Chesbrough,  City  Engineer,  prepara- 
tory to  completing  the  Tunnel  for  the  Water  Works,  it  was  found 
that  the  lake-bed  was  composed  of  blue  clay  v\^ith  superficial  sands 
above,  which  shifted  in  every  heavy  storm. 

Such   a  soil  must  necessarily  exercise  a  decided  influence  upon 

the  health  of  those  living  upon  it,  depending  of  course  whether  their 

houses   rest   upon   sand,   clay,  or  humus.     Sandy  soils   absorb   and 

retain   heat  much  longer,  while  the  clays  and  humus  are  cold,  and 

absorb   heat   slowly.     Sand  absorbs  and  retains  little  water ;    clays 

twenty  times  more  ;  and  humus,  or  surface  soil,  fift}-  times  more  than 

sand  ;    and  in  this  way,  to  some  extent,  the  relative  healthfulness 

of  different  portions  of  this  city,  and  even  of  wards,  can  be  accounted 

for. 

5 


54  Public  Parks. 

WINDS — Their  Influence  on  Health. 

Winds  are  the  result  of  changes  of  temperature  and  the  pre- 
cipitation of  moisture,  acting  as  changes  of  density,  and  as  the 
movements  of  bodies  would  act  to  produce  currents  and  movements 
in  a  mass  of  vv^ater.*  This  is  the  strictly  meteorological  definition, 
but  in  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  there  are  none  of  the  atmospheric 
phenomena  that  exercise  a  greater  influence  for  good  or  evil.  The 
free  movement  of  air  in  summer,  in  certain  localities,  is  beneficial  in 
dissipating  noxious  emanations,  and  purifying  the  atmosphere,  while 
in  the  same  locality,  in  the  cold  season,  it  abstracts  heat,  depending, 
of  course,  on  its  velocity  and  humidity,  and  thus  acting  injuriously 
upon  life.  The  seeds  of  disease  are  frequently  wafted  by  winds 
over  unhealthy  localities,  and  thus  causing  those  who  live  quite 
remote  from  the  exciting  cause  to  suffer.  Fevers  and  acute  pulmo- 
nary and  inflammatory  diseases  do  not  usually  manifest  themselves 
under  the  influence  of  the  same  wind,  although  fever  and  certain 
other  diseases  may  occur  in  connection  with  any  currents  which 
waft  the  air  from  the  neighboring  surfaces,  where  the  elaboration  of 
the  morbific  cause  is  going  on. 

NORTH    WIND. 

The  north  wind  is  less  frequent  than  any  other.  It  generally 
exercises  a  beneficial  influence,  and  in  winter  is  the  mildest,  with  the 
exception  of  the  south-east  and  east,  owing  to  the  lake  and  the  trees 
found  north  of  the  city.  In  summer  it  is  cool  and  I'efreshing.  This 
wind,  like  all  others,  is  influenced  by  locality  in  its  eflects  upon 
health,  as  in  New  Orleans,  in  summer,  it  always  causes  sickness. 

NORTH-EAST    WIND. 

The  north-east  is  the  most  common  wind  in  spring  and  summer. 
In  the  months  of  March,  April,  and  May,  it  is  a  cold,  moist  wind, 
and  continues  so  until  the  temperature  of  the  earth  is  higher  than 
that  of  the  lake,  when  it  becomes  cool  and  pleasant,  remaining  so 
until  November,  or  until  the  temperature  of  the  earth  becomes  lower 
than  that  of  the  lake.  This  wind  increases  pulmonary,  rheumatic 
and  inflammatory  diseases  in  spring,  and  is  the  main  reason  why 
that  season  of  the  year  is  so  long-continued  and  unpleasant ;  but 
during  extreme  heat  and  cold  it  is  beneficial.  The  north-east  wind 
blows  malarial  fever  into  portions  of  Rome.     In  Batavia  this  wind 

*  Blodgett's  Clitiiatology. 


Public   Parks.  55 

is  highly  unfavorable  to  health.  On  the  west  side  of  the  town  of 
Marenne,  in  France,  are  situated  vast  marshes,  and  when  the  wind 
blows  from  the  north  and  north-east,  fevers  are  rare  ;  but  when  the 
wind  blows  from  the  west,  south-west,  or  south,  so  as  to  pass  over 
these  surfaces  before  reaching  the  town,  fevers  make  their  appear- 
ance. On  the  contrary,  at  Saint  Agnant,  situated  opposite  to 
Marenne,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  marshes,  the  conditions  are 
reversed,  and  during  the  prevalence  of  the  east  wind  the  town 
becomes  sickly. 

EAST    WIND. 

The  east  wind,  with  the  exception  of  the  north,  is  the  least 
frequent,  and  is  more  common  in  spring  than  any  other  season  of 
the  year.  In  winter  it  is  warm,  and  while  from  this  direction  there 
is  a  diminution  in  the  number  of  cases  of  acute  inflammatory 
diseases,  and  only  a  short  time  in  spring  is  it  disagreeable.  The 
lake  exercises  a  marked  inflvience  upon  this  wind,  and  that  from  the 
north-east.  Edinburgh  is  supposed  to  be  subject  to  fever  through 
the  agency  of  the  east  wind  which  wafts  it  from  Holland,  and  the 
same  wind  wafts  malaria  from  Essex  to  London. 

SOUTH-EAST  WIND. 

Of  all  the  winds,  none  is  so  depressing  and  enervating  as  the 
south-east.  It  is  a  warm,  moist  wind,  oppressive  to  man  and  beast, 
in  consequence  of  checking  evaporation,  thus  raising  the  temperature 
of  the  body,  and  causing  the  lungs  to  exhale  a  larger  amount  of  car- 
bonic acid  than  usual,*  and  in  this  way  exhausting  the  vital  energies. 
In  addition  to  the  ordinary  effect  of  a  warm,  moist  wind,  it  is  loaded 
in  the  summer  and  autumn  with  the  noxious  exhalations  of  the 
swampy  region  south-east  of  the  city  bordering  on  the  lake  and 
Calumet  river.  The  topography  of  the  country  south  and  south-east 
of  the  city  is  such  as  to  promote  currents  of  air  from  this  direction, 
and  even  to  direct  them  toward  the  city,  as  they  meet  with  but  little 
obstruction,  causing  this  wind  to  be  more  frequent  than  if  such  were 
not  the  case,  it  being  here  more  of  a  local  than  general  wind.  When 
the  weather  has  been  intensely  cold  for  a  number  of  days,  a  change 
to  this  direction,  will  diminish  mortality,  but  for  at  least  nine  months 
of  the  year  it  is  the  most  fatal  wind.  In  the  summer  and  autumn, 
even  when  no  epidemic  tendency  exists,  a  change  to  this  direction 
generally  terminates  fatally  to  nearly  all  diseases,  where  the  patient 

*jLehmann. 


^6  Ptiblic  Parks. 

has  been  hanging,  as  it  were,  "  in  the  balance."  It  also  increases  all 
infantile  and  bowel  atfections.  The  most  marked  change  that  I  have 
noticed,  occurred  on  July  i6th,  1868,  when  the  wind  blew  from  the 
north-east,  and  the  mortality  was  21  ;  on  the  17th  it  changed  to  the 
south-east,  and  38  died  ;  iSth,  wind  continuing  from  the  same  direc- 
tion, 63  deaths  (the  highest  mortality  in  a  single  day  for  two  years,) 
occurred,  the  mean  temperature  of  the  two  days  being  nearly  86 
degrees.  On  the  19th,  the  wind  changed  to  the  north-east,  and 
the  mortality  diminished  to  35,  with  a  mean  temperature  of  77.66 
degrees.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  greatest  mortality  occurred  in 
the  1 2th  ward,  in  the  extreme  north-western  ward  of  the  city.  This 
fact  clearly  shows  that  its  poisonous  qualities,  were  added  to  the  nox- 
ious emanations  of  the  city,  increasing  in  its  intensity  as  it  progressed 
north-westward.  This  wind  carries  with  it  the  plague  to  Constan- 
tinople and  various  parts  of  Russia  and  Poland,  in  fact,  to  all  the 
countries  of  Europe  bordering  on  the  Mediterranean.  It  produces 
an  unfavorable  influence  on  the  health  of  London  and  Dutch  Guiana. 
At  Burlington,  Iowa,  in  July,  1S50,  the  wind  was  in  this  direction 
dvu'ing  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera  as  an  epidemic,  but  upon  its 
changing  to  the  north-west,  the  disease  immediately  abated,  and  the 
cholera  re-appeared  a  few  days  after,  when  the  v^ind  changed  again 
to  this  direction.  Here  the  wind  passed  over  the  Mississippi  bottom 
on  the  Illinois  side.  In  1851  the  cholera  broke  out  at  Oquawka, 
Illinois,  fifteen  miles  above  Burlington,  while  the  wind  was  from 
the  w^est.  Here  the  low  lands  and  swamps  are  on  the  Iowa  side. 
At  this  time  there  was  no  cholera  at  Burlington. 

SOUTH    WIND. 

The  south  wind  is  more  common  than  either  the  east  or  north.  It 
is  most  frequent  in  winter,  and  it  is  rarely  that  it  is  for  a  day  from  this 
quarter,  and  then  only  when  the  wind  is  shifting  from  the  south-west 
to  the  south-east,  or  from  the  south-east  to  the  south-west.  The 
ground  directly  south  of  the  city  is  unfavorable  to  this  current,  as 
the  surface  of  the  country  rapidly  rises  beyond  Blue  Island,  forming 
depressions  both  east  and  west.  In  winter  the  south  wind  exercises 
a  beneficial  influence  in  moderating  the  extreme  cold  of  the  westerly 
winds,  diminishing  the  mortality,  and  the  same  result  is  observable 
in  spring.  In  the  summer  it  prevails  only  when  great  changes  have 
taken  place,  and  its  influence  is  quite  marked,  as  between  the  damp 
south-east,  and  the  dry  south-west.  In  autumn  its  eti'ect  on  health  is 
not  apparent. 


Public  Parks.  57 

SOUTH-WEST    WIND. 

The  prevailing  wind,  not  alone  of  Chicago,  but  of  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  is  the  south-west.  In  iS68,  it  was 
the  hottest  and  coldest,*  and,  when  great  disturbances  take  place,  the 
same  has  been  observed  to  occur  within  the  short  period  of  a  month. 
In  the  summer  it  is  hot,  dry  and  relaxing,  causing  at  first  free  evapo- 
ration ;  but  if  long  continued,  it  produces  harshness  and  dryness  of 
the  skin,  and  general  malaise  ;  in  w^inter  it  is  dry,  cold,  and  sharp. 
It  partakes  of  the  character  of  the  country,  and  of  the  seasons ;  the 
surface  being  a  flat,  level  plain,  with  an  altitude  of  only  lo  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  lake  at  the  highest  point,  necessarily  a  large  portion 
swampy,  with  nothing  to  impede  its  sweep,  plainly  showing  how  it 
may  alternately  be  the  hottest  and  coldest,  even  in  so  short  a  period 
as  a  month.  It  is  the  normal  wind  of  the  summer  and  autumn  in 
this  latitude,  but  owing  to  the  local  topography,  and  the  great  and 
sudden  changes  incident  thereto,  it  alternates  in  frequency,  between 
summer,  autumn,  and  winter.  This  wind  having  a  greater  elabora- 
ting surface  than  any  other,  necessarily  exercises  a  great  influence  upon 
health,  in  addition  to  its  wafting  the  malarious  exhalations  of  Mud 
Lake,  and  the  region  contiguous  to  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal, 
over  every  portion  of  our  city,  and  next  to  the  south-east  is  the 
most  fatal ;  and,  owing  to  its  being  the  most  prevalent  wind,  causes 
the  greatest  mortality,  f 

*  In  I867  a  very  able  and  interesting  memorial  was  presented  to  the  Michigan  Legislature,  in 
obedience  to  instructions  received  from  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  by  T.  T.  Lyon  and  Sanford 
Howard,  Esqrs.,  on  the  change  of  climate  caused  by  the  destruction  of  the  forest  trees,  and  the  conse- 
quent injurious  effect  upon  crops  and  fruit  trees,  petitioning  the  Legislature  to  enact  laws  to  prevent 
the  unnecessary  destruction  of  the  forests,  and  to  encourage  the  planting  of  trees,  as  a  means  of  shelter 
and  protection  to  crops  and  fruit  trees.  In  this  report  they  alluded  to  the  change  that  had  taken 
place  in  the  older  portion  of  the  State,  within  the  last  thirty  years,  in  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold ; 
the  greater  prevalence  and  force  of  the  winds  ;  resulting  in  the  destruction  of  peach  trees,  wheat,  com, 
and  the  winter  killing  of  clover.  The  memorial  says:  "  Last  year  the  loss  in  all  that  part  of  the  State 
lying  south  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,-a  region  deprived  of  the  ameliorating  influence  of  Lake 
Michigan,  or  the  south-west  wind,  and  composing  the  richest  agricultural  portion  of  the  State,  was 
estimated  at  no  less  than  three-fourths  of  the  entire  wheat  crop  !  From  what  enquiries  your  committee 
have  been  able  to  make,  the  loss  on  the  wheat  crop  alone,  of  this  State,  for  the  last  four  years,  is  not 
less  than  §20,000,000.  Your  committee  would  be  most  happy  to  believe  that  this  enormous  loss  springs 
from  causes  evanescent  in  their  nature,  and  destined  speedily  to  pass  away,  to  return  nevermore.  But 
vour  committee  are  fearful  that  these  vast  losses  "are  but  the  beginning  of  sorrow,"  and  that  the  improv- 
idence which  laid  our  open  fields  to  that  scourge  of  God,  the  south-west  wind,  by  the  wholesale  destruction 
of  our  forests,  is  now  only  beginning  to  reap  the  fruit  of  that  want  of  forethought,  and  that  these  losses 
can  be  avoided  only  by  restoring,  in  part  at  least,  the  natural  barriers  against  the  wind." 

Diagrams  are  given  showing  the  influence  of  the  winds  on  temperature  and  rain,  for  four  years,  at 
Lansing,  clearly  demonstrating  that  the  conclusions  of  the  committee  were  based  upon  facts.  An 
examination  of  the  topography  of  the  lower  and  central  portions  of  Michigan  will  show  the  cause  of 
the  frequency  and  influence  of  the  south-west  wind.  The  Legislature,  with  commendable  judgment 
and  foresight,  passed  a  .law  encouraging  the  planting  of  trees  and  shrubs  along  the  highways,  also 
providing  for  their  care  and  protection. 

t  The  effect  of  this  wind  on  the  health  of  the  city,  particularly  in  summer  and  autumn,  will  be 
appreciated,  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  a  large  extent  of  the  surface  over  which  it  passes  before 
reaching  the  city,  is  covered  by  water  in  the  spring,  which  is  evaporated  during  the  sumrner  and  autumn, 
leaving  the  large  quantity  of  humus,  or  vegetable  mould  that  covers  it.  exposed  to  the  influence  of  the 
sun  and  air,  in  addition  to  liberating  a  large  portion  of  the  carbonic  acid  that  is  held  by  the  soil.  What 
makes  it  still  worse,  is  the  fact  that  but  little  of  the  soil  for  miles  in  this  direction  is  cultivated. 


^8  Public  Parks. 

WEST    WIND. 

The  west  wind  is  more  common  than  any  from  the  direct  points 
of  the  compass,  and  is  most  frequent  in  winter,  when  it  is  generally 
the  coldest  and  driest,  owing  to  the  tact  that  the  ground  is  higher 
and  drier  than  in  any  other  direction.  The  greatest  mortality,  when 
this  wind  prevails  in  winter,  is  by  acute  inflammatory  diseases,  and 
occasionally  in  autumn  and  spring ;  but  in  summer  a  change  to  this 
quarter  from  the  south  is  cooling  to  the  atmosphere  and  invigorating, 
and  its  influence  is  marked  in  a  great  diminution  in  the  number  of 
deaths.  Generally  speaking,  less  mortality  occurs  than  from  any 
other  direction,  and  it  may  be  said  to  be  the  healthiest  wind  during 
the  entire  year. 

NORTH-WEST    WIND. 

The  north-west  wind  might  with  propriety  be  called  Boreas,  as  it 
is  a  cold,  fierce,  and  penetrating  wind  in  winter  ;  in  spring  cold, 
blear  and  bleak ;  and  in  summer  cool  and  refreshing.  The  topog- 
raphy of  the  counti-y  north-west  of  the  City  tends  to  the  formation 
of  currents  in  this  direction,  at  the  same  time  there  being  no  obstruc- 
tions to  their  full  sweep,  their  velocity  is  greater  than  from  any  other 
quarter.  In  fact  the  character  of  the  country  over  which  it  passes 
is  impressed  upon  it,  as  it  is  occasionally  the  coldest,  but  never  the 
warmest.  It  is  pretty  equally  divided  in  frequency  between  winter, 
spring,  and  autumn,  and  is  least  prevalent  in  summer.  Its  influence 
on  health  is  most  marked  in  winter,  and  particularly  in  spring  when 
it  causes  great  changes  of  temperature,  resulting  in  pulmonary, 
rheumatic,  neuralgiac,  and  inflammatory  diseases,  while  in  the 
summer  it  diminishes  mortality,  and  exercises  a  wholesome  influence 
upon  health. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  saying  that  winds  alone  are  the 
cause  of  death,  but  that  owing  to  local  causes  they  increase  mor- 
tality, which  would  not  be  the  case  if  these  conditions  did  not  obtain. 
While  I  fully  appreciate  the  important  part  they  play  in  purifying 
the  atmosphere,  I  do  mean  to  say  that  in  some  seasons  certain  winds 
increase  mortality,  or,  in  other  words,  that  there  are  times  here 
when  we  have  too  much  wind,  as  I  have  already  shown  that  this 
may  be  the  case  in  winds  from  any  direction. 

The  following  tables  have  been  prepared  with  much  care,  the 
facts  having  been  obtained  from  all  sources  at  my  command,  and 
will  corroborate  what  I  have  said  with  regard  to  the  prevalence  and 
influence  of  winds. 


Public  Parks. 


59 


Table  Showing  Direction  of  Wind,  Highest,  Lowest,  Mean,  and 
Range  of  Thermometer,  with  Rain,  Snow,  and  Mortality,  by 
Months,  for  Five  Consecutive  Years. 

1859.      Population -101,V80. 


DIRECTION  OF  WIND. 

TEMPERATURE. 

^ 

^ 

Z 

H 

9 
4 
3 

■"5 
2 

2 

'"4 
6 

8 

1 

2« 
20 
27 
10 
21 
14 
10 
8 
16 
17 
10 
17 

i 

13 
8 
8 

14 
2 
9 
1 

'"2 

18 
18 
16 

i 

•A 

5 
9 
2 

■■■4 
1 
2 
4 
9 
6 
7 
14 

m 

a 
t«  0 

o'S 

^^ 

62 
56 
62 
60 
62 
60 
62 
54 
60 
62 
60 
62 

W 

■44 
58 
62 
58 
82 
90 
95 
91 
74 
76 
70 
36 

Eh' 
1 

26 
26 
42 
41 
52 
55 
46 
26 
16 
20 

'A 

0 

< 

0 

f5 

No. Days 

0 

January 

February  . . . 

March 

April 

1 

\ 

5 
3 
2 
7 
4 
2 
8 
2 
3 

8 
4 
8 
24 
22 
20 
18 

14 

10 

5 

1 

"3 

4 

'"i 

4 
7 
17 
2 

"2 

6 

7 
4 

8 
15 
14 
11 

2 
13 
10 

27.8 

32.4 

41.7 

41.6 

59 

62.3 

75.5 

68.8 

02.6 

49.4 

40.2 

19.4 

52 

57 
36 
32 

40 
49 
43 
36 
28 
50 
54 
16 

5 
6 

8 
11 
8 
6 
4 
7 
5 
8 
9 
2 

79 

4 
10 
3 

■"4 
"'"i 

4 
11 

37 

131 
115 
132 
155 
115 

June 

July 

112 
164 

August .   .   . 
September.. 

October 

November... 
December... 

325 
190 
KiO 
103 
125 

Total 

38 

141 

40 

96 

44 

196 

104 

63 

722 

1,826 

X860.      Popialation  — 109,S60. 


1 
4 

4 

7 

"2 

27 
IS 

21 
13 

9 
13 

62 

58 

50 
54 

-21 

-5 

23.3 
.30.6 

71 
59 

3 
6 

7 
7 

115 

February 

1 

128 

March 

14 

3 

7 

4 

16 

15 

3 

62 

71 

23 

42.6 

48 

4 

3 

180 

26 
15 

5 
10 

9 

6 

I 

6 

10 

6 

7 

5 
11 

60 
62 

76 

87 

32 
34 

47.8 
61.5 

44 
53 

8 
7 

2 

131 

M^y . 

1 

102 

June 

8 

14 

6 

8 

8 

6 

8 

60 

88 

50 

65. 

38 

7 

155 

July 

•     2 
3 

21 
21 

2 

7 

8 
10 

14 
13 

3 
2 

2 

7 

52 
62 

89 
86 

58 
58 

73.2 
72.2 

31 

28 

14 
7 

WS 

August 

308 

September... 

4 

8 

3 

16 

3 

12 

4 

9 

59 

84 

43 

62.7 

41 

lU 

174 

October 

5 

12 

8 

5 

4 

9 

2 

17 

62 

77 

35 

53.7 

42 

7 

149 

November. .. 

2 

6 

10 

4 

14 

13 

13 

62 

55 

4 

37.3 

51 

12 

3 

170 

December 

4 

1 

5 

6 

3 

10 

16 

17 

62 

46 

8 

25.5 

38 

3 

88 

11 
33 

158 

Total 

43 

132 

46 

96 

27 

157 

108 

114 

723 

2,056 

1861.       PopTalation-123,623- 


January 

2 

3 

8 

4 

13 

15 

16 

61 

40 

-3  24.4 

43 

2 

7 

173 

February 

1 

6 

7 

2 

21 

8 

11 

56 

60 

-5  31.3 

6b 

2 

8 

135 

March 

5 

7 

3 

5 

6 

10 

4 

22 

62 

W 

34  35.2 

34 

9 

3 

173 

April 

4 

9 

12 

2 

8 

14 

8 

8 

60 

78 

34  45 

44 

7 

126 

May 

3 

4 
2 

21 

23 

9 

9 
1 
5 

6 
5 

8 

3 
2 

5 
14 

28 

6 
2 

4 

10 
9 

8 

63 
60 

82 
86 
93 

35 
52 
55 

54.5 
69.8 
71 

47 
34 
37 

11 
4 
4 

134 

131 

July 

239 

August 

1 

22 

8 

1 

17 

1 

12 

62 

95 

66 

73.1 

35 

5 

262 

September.  . . 

1 

15 

2 

3 

3 

17 

6 

13 

60 

83 

50 

64.7 

33 

12 

24'; 

October 

1 

7 

3 

3 

13 

13 

6 

17 

63 

74 

34  54.5 

40 

5 

120 

November 

4 

7 

1 

8 

6 

10 

3 

21 

60 

57 

13 

41.7 

44 

10 

3 

155 

December 

3 

2 

1 

3 

8 

20 

10 

14 

61 

66 

2 

30.7 

64 

3 

74 

2 
23 

195 

28 

125 

46 

66 

51 

182 

73 

161 

732 

2,089 

6o 


Public  Parks. 


Table  Showing  Direction  of  Wind,  Highest,  Lowest,  Mean,  and 
Range  of  Thermometer,  with  Rain,  Snow,  and  Mortality,  by 
Months  for    Five   Consecutive  Years.  —  Continued. 


1863.      Population  — 138,186. 


DIRECTION  OF  WIND. 

TEMPERATURE. 

i, 

I 

oS 

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38 

-11 

28.2 

K 

m 

K 

No.Daye 

O 

January 

12 

2 

8 

3 

w 

7 

19 

62 

49 

4 

11 

174 

February  . . . 

fi 

6 

10 

8 

2 

24 

56 

45 

-8 

24.3 

53 

6 

197 

March 

10 

21 

4 

3 

4 

6 

4 

10 

62 

50 

16 

36.8 

34 

2 

199 

April 

8 

23 

8 

2 

7 

7 

2 

3 

60 

72 

32 

46.9 

47 

i4 

m 

May 

3 

19 

12 

8 

4 

11 

3 

2 

63 

82 

40 

55.9 

42 

13 

IBS' 

June 

7 

33 

4 

5 

3 

12 

2 

4 

60 

84 

48 

62.7 

36 

13 

156 

July 

5 

22 

2 

2 

3 

23 

1 

4 

62 

96 

59 

76.3 

37 

11 

274' 

August 

4 

10 

4 

10 

13 

17 

4 

63 

87 

59 

75.3 

28 

6 

80*' 

September.. 

5 

7 

6 

7 

21 

9 

3 

2 

60 

83 

46 

65.2 

37 

12 

271 

October 

4 

fi 

1 

8 

5 

24 

1 

12 

61 

82 

30 

55.2 

52 

3 

2 

246 

November. . 

5 

9 

2 

4 

2 

19 

6 

13 

60 

68 

28 

39.9 

40 

6 

3 

196 

December  . . 

6 

5 

1 

4 

18 

14 

11 

3 

62 

56 

5 

34.5 

51 

4 

85 

24 

203 

Total 

57 

163 

46 

67 

93 

161 

42 

100 

729 

2,575 

1865.      Population  — 178,493. 


January  .... 

6 

1 

2 

37 

4 

12 

62 

50 

-2 

52 

2      225 

February  . . . 

1 

14 

6 

5 

16 

5 

10 

57 

46 

-16 

30 

1 

8 

256 

March 

4 

9 

fi 

5 

25 

4 

9 

62 

70 

3 

67 

3 

3 

279 

19 
32 

2 
4 

6 

4 

18 
12 

4 
4 

11 
4 

60 
62 

76 
85 

18 
42 

58 
43 

15 
5 

2 

250 

May 

9. 

229 

June 

2 

18 

4 

32 

2 

3 

61 

94 

54 

40 

6 

195 

July 

1 

23 

2 

2 

21 

4 

7 

60 

90 

54 

36 

17 



425 

August 

September.. 

1 

31 

2 

1 

6 

20 

1 

62 

90 

54|.... 

36 

16 



464 

6 

1 

4 

4 

12 

27 

4 

2 

60 

1      90 

53 

38 

10 



346 

October 

7 

13 

4 

4 

14 

8 

7 

5 

62 

1      78 

30 

....      48 

8 

1 

360 

November.. 

7 

fi 

2 

6 

14 

13 

6 

6 

60 

64 

26 

....:     38 

8 

2 

299 

December . . 

6 

5 

1 

4 

18 

14 

11 

3 

62 

46 

-10 

...   j     56 

2 
91 

5 

333 

Total  .... 

37 

177 

27 

47 

71 

243 

55 

73 

730 

23 

3,661 



Tot'l  5Yrs 

203 

738 

205 

372 

286 

939 

382 

611 

'                   ' 

'                       ' 

The  above  table  w^as  partially  compiled  from  a  very  able  and 
interesting  "  Report  on  the  Climate,  Topography,  and  Epidemic 
Diseases  of  Illinois,"  by  Dr.  R.  C.  Hamill,  of  this  city.  I  regret 
that  the  facts  for  1863  and  1864  could  not  be  obtained,  this  gap 
necessarily  detracting  from  the  value  of  the  table.  From  even  these 
imperfect  data,  it  w^ill  be  seen  that  owing  to  the  constant  climatic 
changes,  great  fluctuations  of  mortality  occur ;  one  year  heavy  and 
the  next  light,  modified  occasionally  by  epidemics.  This  fluctuation 
is  the  more  striking  when  the  constant  increase  in  population  is 
borne  in  mind,  and  they  have  been  more  marked  since  i860  than 
before,  particularly  during  the  last  five  years. 


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Piiblic   Parks. 


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66 


Public  Parks. 


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Public   Parks.  67 

In  the  table  on  page  61,  is  shown  the  frequency  of  the  wind  from 
the  different  points  of  the  compass,  the  number  of  days  in  which  the 
winds  prevailed,  and  the  mortality  that  occurred  on  the  days  that 
the  winds  blew  from  the  respective  directions.  It  must  necessarily 
be  approximate,  as  the  effect  of  the  daily  changes  is  not  always 
manifest,  and  the  fact,  that  frequently  when  the  observations  were 
made  (three  per  day),  the  wind  was  from  different  directions, 
necessitating  the  study  of  each  day  separately  and  connectedly ; 
representing  in  figures,  as  near  as  possible,  the  effect  of  the  different 
winds  on  mortality.  While  there  may  be  mistakes  in  single  days,  I 
am  satisfied  that  in  the  main  they  are  correct. 

The  following  figures  represent  the  average  daily  mortality  for  the 
last  thi'ee  years,  w^ien  the  wind  prevailed  from  the  different  directions  : 

N.  N.  E.  E.  S.  E.  S.  S.  W.  W.  N.  W. 
11.96  16.1S  11,13  18.59  13-35  13-35  12.25  13-94 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  daily  mortality  for  1866,  while  the 
wind  was  from  the  north-east,  was  nearly  as  great  as  when  it  blew 
from  the  south-east.  This  result  was  caused  by  the  cholera,  which 
became  epidemic  in  October.  For  four  days,  that  is,  from  the  5th  to 
the  9th,  the  wind  was  from  the  south-west,  and  dry,  with  a  mean 
temperature  of  65°.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  9th,  the  wind  changed 
to  the  north-west,  reducing  the  temperatiu'e  to  59°,  the  mortality 
increasing  from  37  on  the  6th,  to  67  on  the  9th.  On  the  loth,  the 
wind  changed  to  the  north-east,  with  an  increase  of  temperature  of 
3°,  and  the  mortality  reached  98  ;  on  the  nth,  the  temperature  was 
4°  lower,  and  the  deaths  reached  71  ;  on  the  12th,  the  temperature 
rose  1°,  and  there  w^ere  82  deaths  ;  on  the  13th,  the  temperature  rose 
3°  higher,  and  there  were  73  deaths  ;  on  the  14th,  the  wind  changed 
to  the  south-east  in  the  morning,  but  veered  again  to  north-east,  when 
there  were  61  deaths  ;  the  same  occurred  on  the  15th,  with  a  lowered 
temperature  of  4°,  and  68  deaths;  on  the  i6th,  the  wind  changed 
to  the  south-east,  and  there  were  53  deaths;  and  on  the  17th,  the 
wind  changed  to  the  south-west,  and  there  were  43  deaths  ;  and  from 
this  time  the  number  gradually  diminished.  It  will  be  seen  that,  for 
four  days  in  succession,  the  south-west  wind  prevailed  ;  and  for  foin* 
days  the  north-east;  and  for  two  more,  its  influence  was  felt,  with  a 
higher  temperature  than  has  since  been  observed  for  the  same  length 
of  time.  On  the  loth,  nth,  and  12th,  the  motion  of  the  air  was 
barely  perceptible,  and  was  saturated  with  moisture,  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  partially  obscure  the  sun,  hanging  over  the  city  like  a  pall. 


68  Public   Parks. 

The  high  temperature  and  dry  south-west  wind  had  already 
paved  the  way  for  this  great  mortaHty ;  and  when  to  this  was  added 
the  moist  warm  north-east  wind,  all  the  atmospheric  conditions  were 
prepared,  and  it  onlv  needed  the  presence  of  cholera  to  make  it 
epidemic.  Secretion  of  the  skin  was  checked,  the  lungs  were  called 
upon  to  throw  off  an  unusual  amount  of  carbonic  acid,  thus  reducing 
the  vital  powers,  and  the  bowels  were  necessarily  requii'ed  to  excrete 
more,  and  with  what  effect  is  but  too  well-known.  This  stillness  of 
the  atmosphere  continued  for  three  days,  when,  on  the  14th,  more 
activity  was  perceptible,  with  an  abatement  of  the  epidemic.  The 
ratio  would  still  be  more  marked,  had  a  record  been  kept  of  all  that 
died.  That  portion  of  the  table  referring  to  1S67,  may  be  regai'ded 
as  nearer  the  normal  condition  than  that  of  either  ''66  or  ^6^.  The 
general  health  was  remarkably  good,  but  in  1868,  there  was  a  great 
increase  of  mortality,  without  any  epidemic  tendency,  and  the  causes 
of  which  will  be  alluded  to  hereafter. 

The  table  on  page  62,  shows  the  influence  of  Lake  Michigan 
and  of  the  cardinal  winds  upon  life.  It  will  be  seen  that  more 
deaths  occurred  in  1866,  when  the  westerly  -winds  prevailed,  and  in 
the  autumn,  than  at  any  other  season  ;  also,  in  winter  and  spring,  and 
that  the  greatest  mortality  occurred  in  summer  by  the  southerly 
winds,  and  the  least  when  easterly  winds  prevailed.  In  1867,  the 
mortality  was  more  equally  distributed  between  westerly  and  easterly 
winds,  and  the  greatest  number  of  deaths  occurred  during  the  pre- 
valence of  westerly  winds,  and  in  summer ;  and  that  the  least 
mortality  took  place  in  the  spring,  the  season  of  the  3'ear  when  the 
causes  of  death  are  less  rife  than  any  other,  unless  more  than 
ordinary  conditions  obtain.  In  1868,  the  greatest  mortality  occurred 
during  the  prevalence  of  easterly  winds,  and  in  summer.  This  year, 
also,  differs  from  the  other  years  by  the  unusually  great  mortality 
that  occurred  in  winter. 

By  reference  to  the  table  on  page  63,  will  be  seen  the  influence 
of  temperature  and  rain  on  mortality,  by  seasons.  During  the 
winter  of  1S66,  it  was  cold,  and  great  mortality  occurred  during  the 
westerly  winds,  not  much  rain  falling ;  in  spring,  it  was  warm,  and 
the  mortality  was  greater  than  usual,  particularly  when  the  north- 
west wind  prevailed  ;  the  summer  was  cold,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
rain  fell,  and  deaths  took  place  proportionably  ;  and  in  autumn  it 
was  unusually  warm,  a  large  amount  of  rain  also  falling;  cholera 
prevailed,  and  the  greatest  mortality  took  place  when  the  wind  was 


Public  Parks.  69 

from  the  north-east.  From  the  ist  to  the  21st  day  of  October,  the 
mean  temperatm^e  was  63°,  The  winter  of  1867  was  milder  than 
that  of  1866,  and,  although  there  was  a  great  increase  in  population, 
80  more  deaths  occurred;  the  spring  was  colder,  and  the  mortality- 
still  less  ;  the  summer  was  warmer  than  1866,  and  the  decrease  in 
the  number  of  deaths  was  still  more  marked  ;  the  autumn  was  colder, 
and  the  mortality  was  not  much  over  one-half  as  great.  It  will  be 
observed  that  in  this  year  (1S67,)  the  mortality  was  more  equally 
distributed  between  the  westerly  and  easterly  winds,  and  that  the 
difference  between  the  number  that  died  while  northerly  and  south- 
erly winds  prevailed,  was  nearer  the  normal  number,  and  that  the 
deaths  wei'e  more  equally  distributed  among  the  seasons  than 
during  either  of  the  other  years. 

In  1868  the  extreme  cold  of  winter,  with  the  exti"eme  heat  of 
spring  and  summer,  and  cold  of  autumn,  with  the  unusual  amount 
of  rain  that  fell,  greatly  increased  the  mortality,  although  no 
epidemic  prevailed.  In  the  winter  the  mortality  was  unusually 
heavy,  particularly  during  the  prevalence  of  the  north-west  and 
south-west  winds. 

The  tables  on  pages  64  and  6^.,  illustrate  the  frequent  changes 
of  temperatvire  in  the  direction  of  the  wind,  and  in  them  may  be 
found  a  record  of  the  great  climatic  changes  that  have  taken  place 
here  within  the  last  three  years. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  table  on  page  dG.^  will  show  the 
influence  of  temperature  and  rain  upon  health.  In  that  for  1866, 
will  be  noticed  the  mildness  of  January,  the  cold  of  February,  the 
warmth  of  March,  April,  and  May,  the  coldness  of  Jvme,  and 
extraordinary  range  of  temperature,  the  warmth  of  July,  and  cold- 
ness of  August,  and,  still  more  marked,  that  of  September,  with  the 
extraordinary  warmth  of  October,  November,  and  December  ;  also, 
the  great  amount  of  rain  that  fell  in  the  last  half  of  this  year,  and 
all  conditions  conducing  to  and  explaining  the  great  fatality  incident 
to  that  season  of  the  year.  In  1867  the  temperature  during  the  entire 
year  was  seasonable, — cold  in  winter,  milder  in  spring,  warm  in 
summer,  and  pleasant  in  autumn,  without  any  great  extreme. 
About  the  usual  amount  of  rain  fell  in  the  first  half  of  the  year, 
but  in  July,  August,  and  September,  an  unusually  small  quantity  fell. 
This  season  of  dryness,  in  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  was  beneficial, 
owing  to  the  want  of  drainage  in  a  large  portion  of  our  city,  in 
diminishing  mortality.  The  influence  of  this  equability  of  temper- 
7 


70 


Public  Parks. 


ature,  and  the  small  amount  of  rain  that  fell,  is  marked  in  the  great 
diminution  of  deaths  in  all  the  months  but  January  and  December, 
as  compared  with  1866,  although  a  great  increase  in  population 
had  taken  place. 

A  striking  contrast  is,  however,  found  in  1868,  when  the  extremes 
of  heat  and  cold  were  very  marked,  with  the  fall  of  an  unusually 
large  amount  of  rain.  January  and  February  were  very  cold,  March 
warm,  April  cold.  May  warm,  and  June  cold,  July  and  August 
intensely  hot ;  and  from  this  time,  the  temperature  gradually  low- 
ered, until  the  early  part  of  December  when  it  became  intensely 
cold.  The  increase  of  mortality  this  year,  compared  with  1867,  is 
great,  although  no  epidemic  prevailed,  clearly  demonstrating  the 
influence  of  temperature  and  moisture  upon  health. 

TEMPERATURE. 

The  frequent  and  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  at  Chicago,  are 
caused  more  by  the  winds  than  any  other  cause,  owing  to  the  open 
treeless  plain  upon  which  it  is  located,  assisted  by  the  evaporation 
from  Lake  Michigan.  In  the  northern  hemisphei'e  the  coldest  month 
is  January.  In  some  parts  of  Canada,  at  Mackinac  and  Detroit,  it  is 
February  ;  at  Fort  Snelling  and  St.  Louis,  in  January.  Here  the  mean 
temperature  is  coldest  in  January,  rarely  in  February ;  in  thirteen 
years  the  temperature  was  lowest  for  five  years,  in  January ;  five,  in 
February  ;  and  three,  in  December.  The  hottest  month  in  most  places 
is  July  ;  in  a  few,  August ;  and  at  sea,  it  is  always  August.  Here  it  is 
generally  July,  but  sometimes  it  is  August ;  and  the  highest  tempera- 
ture for  thirteen  years,  was  in  June,  four  ;  July,  six  ;  and  August,  three 
times.  The  undulations  of  teinperature  ai'e  greatest  in  the  interior  of 
continents,  remote  from  large  bodies  of  water.  Here,  as  well  as  at 
Toledo,  Detroit,  Mackinac  and  Milwaukee,  the  range  is  not  as  great 
as  in  the  country  south  and  west. 

From  observations  made  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  north,  south 
and  west,  during  the  past  year,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  range  of 
temperature  has  increased  at  least  two  degrees,  since  the  observations 
were  made  at  Fort  Dearborn,  from  1832  to  1836,  and  that  this 
increase  in  range  is  not  as  great  north  of  the  city,  as  south  and  west. 
The  range  north,  for  1868,  was  117°  ;  south,  120°  ;  west,  121°  ;  while 
at  119  Randolph  street,  it  was  only  111°.  The  mean  annual  temper- 
ature has  also  increased  about  two  degi-ees,  although  the  observations 
made  at  119  Randolph  street,  for  the  last  three  years,  indicated  a 


Public  Parks. 


71 


mean  temperature  of  50.2°.  The  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are  more 
marked  in  the  outskirts,  than  in  the  city,  where,  no  doubt,  the  build- 
ings have  some  influence  in  moderating  the  temperature  ;  as,  by 
comparison,  I  find  that  in  May,  June,  July,  and  August,  it  was  colder 
in  the  heart  of  the  city,  but  the  remainder  of  the  year  it  is  colder  on 
the  outskirts.  The  only  way  in  which  this  change  of  climate  can 
be  accounted  for  is,  tliat  since  1S36,  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  timber 
that  covered  the  country  on  which  Chicago  now  stands,  and  its 
vicinity,  has  been  destroyed,  and  that  the  region  directly  north  of  the 
city  approximates  nearer  to  the  conditions  that  obtained,  when  the 
observations  were  made  at  Fort  Dearborn,  and  that  less  timber  has 
been  destroyed  ther^  than  in  any  other  direction.*  The  following 
table,  compiled  mainly  from  the  Army  Medical  Reports,  for  i860, 
will  give  some  idea  of  the  relative  temperature  of  the  different 
localities,  as  compared  with  Chicago.  Many  of  the  observations 
extend  over  a  long  period,  and  were  made  before  the  settlement  of 
the  country  had  any  influence  upon  the  climate  of  the  locality. 


Annual  Mean  and  Eange  of  Thermometer. 


St.  Louis 

Detroit 

Mackinac 

Sault  St.  Marie  . . 

Fort  Howard 

Prairie  du  Chien. 

Kock  Island 

Port  Ripley 

Fort  Snelling 

Council  Bluffs... 
Fort  Laramie  — 

Toledo* 

Milwaukee  t 

Chicago 

Chicago  $ 

Near  Chicago  1| .... 

Chicago 

Lansing  § 


MEAN.      KANQE. 


Mean  of  Thermometer  hy  Seasons. 


SPRITSrG.   SUMMER  AUTUMN  'WINTER 


54.15 

45.75 
36.73 
37.53 
43.52 
4S.6fi 
50.52 
39.33 
45.54 
49.28 
46.84 
48.17 
43.68 
44.90 
46.80 
47.00 
48.30 
43.77 


76.36 
67.60 
61.95 
62.21 
68.51 
72.28 
74.12 
64.94 
70.61 
74.76 
71.94 
70.86 
67.44 
67.. 33 
71.38 
75.00 
73.66 
68.98 


55.44 
48.67 
44.85 
43.54 
46.01 
48.53 
51.42 
42.91 
45.89 
51.36 
50.32 
51.39 
48.81 
48.84 
54.60 
48.60 
52.66 
48.46 


32.27 
26.84 
20.04 
18.32 
19.91 
21.25 
24.88 
10.01 
16.05 
21.73 
30.54 
28.91 
20.47 
25.90 
26.13 
20.40 
24.30 
23.87 


12Yrs. 
13    " 

24    " 

31,:," 

21  " 

19     " 

11/2" 

6  " 
35    " 

7  " 

6  " 

7  " 

22  " 
1833-ia36 
1866-67-68 
1868 

1866-67. 


*  Dr.  Trembly.       t  I.  A.  Lapham.       %  Langgnth. 
T  Eange  for  three  years. 


Brooks.       §  Kedzie. 


*  Horticulturists  and  florists  inform  me  that  there  is  less  danger  from  frost,  and  that  generally 
speaking,  the  products  of  the  garden  thrive  better  north  of  the  city  than  in  any  other  direction. 


72 


Public  Parks, 


RAIN. 

With  the  change  of  temperature,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  less 
rain  falls,  and  that  there  are  greater  extremes  of  wet  and  drought, 
than  when  the  country  was  first  settled,  although  the  observations  do 
not  extend  over  a  period  sufficiently  long  to  determine  the  fact.  The 
following  table  will  show  the  quantity  of  rain  that  fell  at  the  several 
points  for  three  consecutive  years  : 


Milwaukee. 
Toledo, . . . . 

Lansing, 

Chicago, 


40.68 
39.51 
36.65 


1867. 


24.63 


24. 5~ 
21.86 


1868. 


29.37* 
41.51t 

% 

37.33 


Lapham.       +  Trembly.       %  Kedzie. 


It  will  be  observed  that  the  greatest  extremes  occurred  at  Chicago. 
The  mean  rain-fall  at  Milwaukee  for  25  years  is  30.20  inches  ;  at 
Toledo,  for  six  years,  is  38.94  ;  at  Lansing,  for  four  years,  30.56  ;  and 
at  Chicago,  for  the  last  three  years,  is  31.94  inches.  The  following 
table  will  show  the  quantity  of  rain  that  fell,  when  the  winds  pre- 
vailed from  the  different  directions  : 

18  6  7. 


July, 

August, 

September, 
October, . . . 
November, 
December,. 

TOTAl, 

January,  . . 
February,., 

March, 

April, 

May,  

June, 

July, 

August,  . . 
September, 
October,... 
November, 
December, 

Total, 


.409 

.844 
.112 
.015 
.195 


1.575 


S.  E. 


.115 

1.760 

.411 


.341 


.627 


028 


486 

775 

510 
879 
089 


2.739 


.505 
.180 


.852 
.271 


2.294 


.182 


.182 


18  6  8 


.115 

.215 

2.165 

1.275 

1.515 

1.216 

.388 

.168 

2.780 

.130 

1.190 

.385 


11.543       4.038 


.390 
.210 
.045 

.878 
.975 
.350 

.510 
.600 
.080 


019 


220- 


.118 
.550 
.030 
.420 

1.585 
.011 
.485 
.750 

1.980 
.750 
.150 

1.830 


239       8.659        8.974 


.549 

2.660 

1.095 
.210 
.310 

1.120 
.545 

2.250 

.210 
.025 


070 


435 
085 


598 


.283 


.285 
.680 


1.740 


3.068 


Public  Parks. 


73 


INFLUENCE    OF    CLIMATE    ON   THE   MOST    COMMON 

DISEASES. 

The  following  tables*  show  the  comparative  mortality  of  certain 
diseases  for  the  last  three  years ;  and,  although  the  registration 
of  deaths  and  the  nomenclature  of  the  diseases  were  very  imperfect 
until  1S67,  when  the  present  system  of  registration  was  inaugurated 
by  the  Board  of  Health,  still  they  are  sufHciently  accurate  to  give  a 
very  good  idea  of  the  relative  mortality,  as  influenced  by  climate  for 
the  different  years.  This  will  be  better  appreciated  when  I  state,  that 
in  1866,  475  deaths  were  reported  from  unknown  causes,  and  as  near 
as  I  am  able  to  ascertain,  about  500  deaths  occurred  of  which  no 
record  has  been  kept.  In  1S67,  134  deaths  were  reported  from 
unknown  causes,  and  nearly  all  in  the  first  six  months,  and  about  100 
deaths  occurred  of  which  no  record  has  been  kept.  In  1S6S,  only  28 
are  reported  from  unknown  causes,  and  about  34  in  which  no  record 
could  be  obtained.  In  judging  of  the  comparative  mortality,  the 
increase  in  population  must  be  taken  into  consideration. 

Throat  and  Lung  Diseases. 
1866. 


S 

i 

OS 

ft 
<1 

<A 

2 
3 

^-5 

£0 
< 

s> 

B 
S 
& 

CO 

0 

a 

p- 
0 

a 

a> 
P 

< 

Bronchitis 

3 
29 
31 

18 
11 

1 

13 
14 

1 

16 
5 

1 

9 
6 

1 
9 
4 

15 
6 

1 
9 
9 

6 
9 

1 

8 
13 

11 

12 

1 

7 
15 

9 

149 

Diphtheria 

134 

Pleurisy 

1 
19 

1 

8 

3 

22 

48 

2 
3 

1 
46 

73 

1 
13 

4 
43 

84 

2 
13 

2 
43 

83 

7 

Pneumonia 

22 

27 

25 
4 
38 

89 

14 

3 

39 

72 

14 

4 

28 

67 

15 

3 

39 

76 

9 

1 

31 

56 

1S3 
35 

Consumption 

25 

18 

.... 

34 

406 

Total 

107 

69 

88 

912 

1867 

Bronchitis 

1 
8 
6 

1 
8 
5 

1 
10 

8 

3 

7 

2 

1 

3 

3 

1 

2 

4 

1 

1 

1 
5 

1 

2 
11 
10 

1 

8 
18 
9 
3 

4 
24 
11 

3 

23 

11 

8 

9fi 

77 

Laryngitis 

10 

3 
3 
2 
35 

3 

Pneumonia 

Lung?;,  Congestion  of 

11 

2 

42 

20 

7 

44 

13 

1 
40 

22 
2 
31 

23 

3 

34 

10 
4 
34 

4 

2 

23 

8 

1 

25 

11 

1 

25 

16 

1 

34 

89 

32 

4 

37 

115 

178 
30 

404 

TOTAi 

74 

86 

()S 

74 

70 

46 

55 

36 

42 

61 

SI  6 

*  Valuable  assistance  has  been  rendered,  in  the  preparation  of  all  the  tables,  by  J.  W.  Russell, 
Secretary,  and  H.  P.  Wright,  Clerk  of  the  Board  of  Health ;  and  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  G.  Lang- 
GUTH  for  all  meteorological  observations,  not  otherwise  credited,  taken  at  117  Randolph  Street 


74 


Public  Parks. 


Throat  and  Lung  Diseases. —  Continued^ 
1868. 


Bronchitis 

Croup 

Diphtheria 

Laryngitis 

Pleurisy 

Pneumonia 

Lungs,  Congestion  of. 
Consumption 


Total. 


1 

03 

a, 
< 

as 

a 

1-5 

<! 

o 
O 

> 
o 

d 

11 

12 

9 

3 

8 

3 

3 

3 

8 

6 

9 

8 

12 

11 

6 

6 

8 

3 

6 

11 

18 

10 

13 

31 

6 

4 

6 

4 

1 

2 

2 

13 

9 

10 

9 

5 

1 

2 

3 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

3 

2 

1 

1 

1 

2 

49 

58 

28 

22 

19 

27 

24 

1 

14 

18 

22 

42 

9 

5 

3 

3 

3 

1 

3 

3 

5 

4 

4 

4 

38 

41 

42 

30 

37 

23 

34 

42 

39 

36 

34 

23 

143 

138 

101 

73 

79 

66 

67 

59 

88 

95 

88 

99 

75 
112 
87 
21 
12 
334 
47 
418 


In  the  above  table  it  will  be  seen  that  Bronchitis  was  more  pre- 
valent in  1867  than  in  1S66,  and  that  there  was  a  large  mortality  in 
1 868,  This  diflerence  is  owing  to  imperfect  registration.  Croup,  a 
more  common  disease,  was  more  frequent  in  1866  than  in  1867,  and 
again,  in  1S68.  Diphtheria  was  very  prevalent  in  1866,  the  mortality 
much  less  in  1867,  and  greater  in  1868.  Of  Laryngitis,  no  deaths  were 
reported  in  1866, 10  in  the  last  six  months  of  1867,  and  23  in  1868.  In 
Pleurisy,  there  was  not  much  difference.  The  cases  of  Pneumonia  for 
1 866,  I  am  satisfied  are  too  low,  and  that  not  all  the  deaths  were 
reported,  as  there  are  only  three  less  than  in  1867,  when  the  tempera- 
ture was  more  equable  and  the  extremes  were  not  so  marked  as  in  1 866, 
or  in  1868.  The  mortality  by  this  disease  in  1S68  was  very  great  in 
the  months  of  January,  February,  March,  and  December,  when  the 
weather  was  extremely  cold.  A  diminution  occurred  in  April  and 
May,  when  the  weather  was  mild,  with  an  inci'ease  in  June,  when  it 
was  again  comparatively  lower.  It  was  also  in  January  and  Feb- 
ruary that  most  died  of  Small  Pox,  owing  to  its  being  complicated 
with  Pneumonia,  which  is  a  common  occurrence  in  the  latter  stages 
of  the  disease.  In  Congestion  of  the  Lungs,  the  same  discrepencies 
occur, —  as,  for  the  first  three  months,  more  deaths  must  have  taken 
place  in  1866  than  in  1867,  owing  to  the  changes  of  temperature,  as 
corroborated  by  the  observations  of  1868.  Consumption,  the  most 
common  and  flital  of  all  diseases,  is  probably  more  correctly  reported 
than  any  other.  It  being  a  hereditary  and  protracted  disease,  the 
effect  of  the  changes  of  temperature  is  not  as  marked  as  in  the 
acute  pulmonary  diseases,  other  causes  tending  to  its  fatal  termina- 
tion, such  as  occupation,  confinement  to  a  vitiated  atmosphere,  and 
depressing  mental  influences.     It  will  be  obsei-ved  that  more  deaths 


Public  Parks. 


75 


occurred  in  the  latter  part  of  1866,  than  the  first  half  of  1867,  than 
at  any  other  time  during  the  period  under  consideration.  This 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  depressing  effect  incident  to  the 
visitation  of  Cholera  in  1866,  had  some  influence  in  increasing  the 
mortality  of  this  disease. 

Abdominal  Diseases. 
1866. 


s 

a 

0. 
< 

0 

s 

1-5 

>. 
>? 

i 

^4 

a. 

CO 

0 
u 
0 

&^ 
0 

i 
> 
0 

12 
4 
5 
2 
4 

a 

Q 

5 
9 

t 
0 

Cholera 

139 
15 

38 
20 
15 

166 
36 
21 
13 
14 
1 

673 
15 
21 
10 

8 

C90 

80 

128 

98 

95 

2 

8 

Cholera  Morbus 

10 
21 
29 
11 

Diarrhoea 

1 

3 

5 
1 
1 

5 

1 
2 

3 
5 

3 

S 

8 

2 
3 

7 

3 
6 

7 

Inflammation  of  Bowels 

Gastritis 

Hepatitis 

1 

4 

1 

1 

Peritonitis 

251 

731 

28 

15 

Total 

10 

8 

9 

14 

12 

16 

71 

236 

1401 

1867. 


Cholera 

5 
1 
3 
11 
14 
3 

2 

45 

24 

13 

3 

2 
1 
47 
20 
9 
4 
1 
2 

1 

1 

11 
3 

Cholera  Morbus ; . . 

1 
7 
2 

2 
1 
5 

Diarrhoea 

4 

1 
1 
8 

5 
3 

2 
2 

13 
13 
13 
1 
1 
4 

4 
5 
1 

1 
4 

5 
2 
2 
1 
1 
1 

137 
79 

Dysentery 

Inflammation  of  Bowels 

Gastritis 

6 

77 
12 

Hepatitis 

Peritonitis 

2 

2 

1 

9 

4 

1 

16 

Total 

12 

12 

8 

5 

11 

8 

41 

88 

86 

45 

16 

13 

344 

1868. 


7 
14 
3 
2 
1 
1 
1 

29 

7 

45 

20 

15 

3 

1 

1 

92 

13 
77 
52 
14 
5 
1 

161 

3 

65 
41 
13 
2 
4 
1 

129 

17 
16 
7 
1 

2 
43 

1 
12 

8 
4 

25 

1 
4 
2 
1 
2 
3 

13 

31 

3 

2 
8 
4 
1 

2 

20 

1 
4 
3 

1 
1 
3 

13 

4 
2 
6 

4 
2 
2 

20 

3 
1 
2 

7 
2 
5 
4 

18 

952 

153 

Inflammation  of  Bowels 

Gastritis 

80 
27 
14 

12 

To  TAL 

569 

This  table  shows  that  nearly  all  the  deaths  by  Cholera  occurred  in 
1866,  a  few  in  1867,  and  none  at  all  in  1868.  In  1866,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered that  all  tlie  climatic  influences  were  favorable  to  the  spread  of 


76 


Public  Parks. 


diseases  of  this  character,  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
decided  epidemic  tendency.  In  the  last  half  of  this  year  an 
extraordinary  amount  of  rain  fell,  and  the  mortality  by  this 
disease  was  greatest  in  the  low  and  undrained  parts  of  the  city,  fully 
sustaining  Pettenkoffer's  theory  with  regard  to  the  influence  of  the 
"ground  water"  in  this  disease.  In  July  and  August,  1S67,  there 
was  a  marked  tendency  to  Cholera,  but  less  rain  fell  than  in  1866, 
and  every  case  was  promptly  taken  care  of,  so  that  in  not  a  single 
instance  did  a  second  case  occur  in  the  same  house,  even  in  those 
of  patients  who  came  from  other  cities  and  died.  In  1868  there 
were  no  cases,  and  there  was  no  epidemic  tendency.  It  will  be 
seen  that  cases  of  Cholera  Morbus  occur  more  frequently  when  great 
climatic  changes  occur.  The  same  is  the  case  with  Diarrhcea, 
Dysentery,  and  Inflammation  of  the  bowels.  The  diflerence  in  the 
number  of  cases  of  Gastritis,  Hepatitis,  and  Peritonitis  is  simply  of 
registration,  for  in  the  first  period  the  registration  in  1866,  as  com- 
pared with  1868,  was  imperfectly  performed  and  the  diagnosis  was 
not  accurately  determined. 

Fevers. 
1866. 


03 

s 

0. 

0= 

cs 

Ha 

< 

ft 
m 

0 
0 
0 

S3 

a 

> 

0 

■< 

H 
0 

1 

1 

1 

3 

1 
1 

13 

2 
13 

4 
8 
13 

1 

10 

16 

17 

8 

4 

61 

6 

Typhoid  Fever 

27 

14 

13 

31 

18 

39 

51 

23 

6 

349 

Total 

38 

15 

14 

15 

14 

30 

32 

38 

55 

68 

30 

10 

319 

1867 

Intermittent  Fever 1 1 

1 

1 
1 

4 
32 

33 

9, 

1    3 

3 
3 
10 

15 

3 
6 
6 

15 

1 
1 

37 

29 

1 
30 

31 

1 
15 

16 

10 

Congestive   Fever 

Typhoid  Fever 

1 

11 

20 
20 

3 
9 

12 

1 
19 

30 

11 
12 

3 

18 

31 

34 

198 

Total 

15 

234 

1868. 


1 

1 

14 

1 

7 

1 
1 

13 

3 

1 

2 

29 

1 

■   ■ 
33 

IT 

1 

1 

3 

37 

41 

2 

3 

21 

20 
20 

7 

Remittent  Fever 

1 
1 
8 

7 

Congestive  Fever 

Typhoid  Fever 

6 

9 

3 
10 

12 
307 

Total 

16 

8 

16 

10 

6 

9 

13 

35 

333 

Public  Parks.  77 

This  table  reveals  the  fact  that  the  ordinary  fevers  are  not  very 
fatal  here,  and  that  few  die  of  Intermittent  Fever,  the  number  being 
greatest  in  186S.  Remittent  Fever  killed  more  in  1866  than  in  either 
of  the  other  years.  Congestive  Fever  was  most  fatal  in  1867  ;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  such  was  also  the  case,  in  1867,  with  regard  to 
Typhoid  Fever,  as  a  great  many  inore  cases  occurred  here  during 
that  year,  owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  summer  and  autumn.  I  am 
satisfied  that  in  1866,  a  great  many  cases  of  cholera  were  reported 
as  dying  of  Remittent  and  Typhoid  Fevers,  because  they  occasionally 
assumed  a  typhoid  or  low  character  and  did  not  die  for  several  days 
after  the  attack.  Of  the  number  reported,  at  least  70  are  of  this 
character,  and  it  will  be  observed  that  the  number  of  both  diseases  is 
much  greater  in  the  last  half  of  the  year  than  the  first,  and  that  there 
was  suddenly  a  great  falling  off  in  Typhoid  Fever  for  December, 
which  is  not  the  case  in  the  other  years  for  that  month.  My  personal 
experience  confirms  this  position,  and  when  the  remarkably  small 
quantity  of  rain  that  fell  during  the  year  1867,  and  particularly  in 
summer  and  autumn,  and  the  prevalence  of  Typhoid  Fever  are  taken 
into  consideration,  although  the  mortality  was  not  so  very  great,  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  position  assumed  by  Buhl*  is 
correct,  that  Typhoid  Fever  increases  as  the  water  gets  low  in  the 
soil.  It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that  a  dry  summer  and  autumn  con- 
duce to  fevers,  while  a  wet  summer  and  autumn  increase  bowel 
affections.  In  a  dry  season  the  earth  cracks  in  consequence  of  the 
evaporation  of  the  water  it  contains,  and  with  this  evaporation 
are  set  free  gases  that  are  contained  in  the  soil,  in  addition  to  the 
decomposition  of  vegetable  matter,  the  necessary  result  of  the  atmos- 
phere and  light  coming  in  contact  with  it.f  These  conditions  do 
not  obtain  when  the  ground  is  covered  or  saturated  with  water. 


*  Zeitschrift  fiir  Biologic,  1865. 

t  The  normal  quantity  of  carbonic  acid  contained  in  the  atmosphere  is  1.4  volumes  per  1000,  but 
the  air  in  the  soil  contains  a  large  quantity,  derived  by  absorption,  or  the  action  of  ram,  and  in  an 
enriched  soil  like  ours,  more  largely  from  the  decay  of  vegetation.  It  has  been  found  to  amount  to  10, 
and  even  20  per  cent.  In  addition  to  the  carbonic  acid,  there  is  also  carburetted  hydrogen.  Cultivation 
of  the  soil,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  city,  would  cause  the  consumption  of  these  gases  by  vege- 
tation, and  therefore,  would  materially  assist  in  rendering  them  innoxious  in  dry  weather,  when  their 
escape  into  the  atmosphere  is  most  marked  upon  health. 


78 


Public  Parks. 


Infantile  Diseases. 
1866. 


p. 

B 

1-5 

"3 

1-5 

3 
<1 

s 

p. 

1 
o 
O 

s 

> 
o 

a 

o 

p 

i 

2 

17 
1 
2 
3 

23 

4 
5 

1 

1 
23 

1 
7 
14 
3 

4 
26 

2 
18 
11 

6 

194 
59 
1 
67 
30 
15 

242 

37 

47 
37 
63 

95 
22 
5 
14 
26 
40 

47 

46 

3 

6 

18 
19 

6 

47 
1 
1 
7 

17 

1 

36 

1 

3 
17 

592 

24 

23 

380 

15 

166 

Teethino'       

8 
1 

4 
2 

166 

184 

Total 

33 

29 

25 

33 

49 

67 

366 

42S 

202 

139 

79 

58 

1503 

1867. 


5 

20 

1 
6 
10 

43 



39 

1 
3 
5 
4 

58 

31 
3 
8 
4 
4 

50 

192 
36 
25 
11 
15 
6 

283 

212 
28 
29 
17 
40 
6 

382 

84 
26 
27 
10 
23 
2 

176 

41 

42 
13 
4 
14 

1 

116 

4 
27 
9 
8 
5 
3 

54 

41 
6 

24 
3 

77 

538 

38 
2 

18 

1 

43 

1 
12 
11 

60 

389 

116 

87 

12 

1 

53 

9 

4 

38 

148 

Whooping  Cough 

62 

Total 

1340 

1868. 


Cholera  Infantum . 

Convulsions 

Marasmus 

Measles 

Teething 

Whooping  Cough. 


Total., 


82 


70      55      60 


79 


446 


454 


311 


106 


66 


739 
fi05 
158 
113 
190 
84 


Old  Age. 

Em 

i 

p< 
< 

si 

a 
e 
i-s 

"3 

p 
< 

p. 

m 

o 
O 

> 

o 
'A 

o 

0) 

o 

15 
6 
5 

O 

1866 

1867 

11 
6 
4 

9 
9 
1 

5 

8 
8 

9 
5 

7 

6 
6 
3 

12 
9 
3 

13 
3 
8 

15 
4 
6 

13 
3 

8 

13 
4 
11 

12 
6 
10 

133 
67 

1868  

74 

Total 

21 

19 

'>1 

91 

15 

24 

24 

25 

24 

28 

27 

25 

274 

Extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are  necessarily  destructive  to  infantile 
life  and  old  age.  Of  all  diseases  to  which  children  are  subject,  none 
is  so  fatal  as  Cholera  Infantum.  The  number  reported  for  i866  is 
evidently  below  what  it  should  be,  while  the  nomenclature  and 
reporting  for  1867  are  more  accurate.     The  intensely  hot  weather, 


Public  Parks.  79 

together  with  the  rain,  caused  the  fearful  mortality  of  1868,  mostly  in 
the  unchained  wards  of  the  city.  The  mortality  by  Convulsions  may 
be  regarded  as  a  sure  index  of  the  influence  of  climate  on  children. 
The  epidemic  tendency  of  1866  is  also  shown,  with  the  influence  of 
extreme  cold  in  increasing  mortality,  compared  with  the  other  years. 
Marasmus  was  imperfectly  reported  in  1866.  The  mortality  by 
teething  w^ill  give  a  better  idea  of  climatic  influences,  and  the  same 
may  be  said  with  regard  to  Whooping  Cough.  The  infantile 
mortality  during  the  intensely  hot  weather  of  July,  August,  and 
September,  was  very  great. 

It  will  also  be  seen  that  the  aged  suffered  severely  in  1866,  but 
the  greater  number  of  deaths  reported  in  the  first  six  months  of  1867 
as  compared  with  the  last,  incline  me  to  the  opinion  that  the  great 
difference  in  the  two  years  is  owing  partially  to  the  naming  of  the 
diseases,  and  the  absence  of  any  epidemic  tendency  in  1868,  and 
also  the  fact  that  the  aged  can  protect  themselves  better  from  the 
effect  of  cold  than  children. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  must  not  be  inferred  that  the  general 
health  of  Chicago  is  bad,  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  compares  favor- 
ably with  any  large  city  in  the  country ;  and  I  think  it  is  not 
presuming  too  much  to  say  that  the  climate  of  Chicago  may  be 
materially  modified,  and  rendered  more  equable,*  by  the  proper 
location  of  parks,  and  the  planting  of  trees,!  thereby  diminishing 
the  mortality  of  preventable  diseases,  and  improving  the  general 
health,  t 


*  The  following  facts  illustrate  the  influence  of  equable  temperature  upon  the  mortality  by  pul- 
monary diseases ;  1868,  January,  highest  temperature  41,  lowest  4,  range  45,  and  mean  temperature 
20.3,  deaths  145  ;  1S69,  January,  highest  temperature  51,  lowest  17,  range  34,  and  mean  temperature 
34.3,  deaths  104  ;  1S68,  February,  highest  temperature  56,  lowest  -9,  range  65,  mean,  27.6,  deaths  138  ; 
1869,   February,  highest  temperature  65,  lowest  5,  range  60,  mean,  31.7,  deaths  100. 

t  The  environs  of  Chicago  are  for  the  most  part  destitute  of  trees,  and  when  we  consider  the 
important  part  which  they  plav  in  the  economy  of  nature,  it  will  appear  obvious  to  every  one  that  tree- 
planting  would  not  only  break  the  force  of  the  wind,  supply  warmth  in  winter,  and  coolness  in  summer, 
and  thus  moderate  the 'extremes  of  temperature,  but  at  the  same  time  absorb  to  a  considerable  extent, 
the  noxious  gases  which  are  generated  in  every  populous  city,— supplying  oxygen,  and  thus  contributing 
to  the  public  health.  Trees  "should  be  planted  in  every  street  in  the  city,  and  on  all  the  highways  lead- 
ing out  of  it,  especially  those  running  north  and  south  ;  and  should  they  at  any  time  become  too  thick, 
they  can  easily  be  thinned  out.  What  a  blessing  it  would  be,  and  at  the  same  time  what  an  ornament, 
if  the  right  of  way  to  every  railroad  leading  out  of  Chicago,  was  devoted  to  tree-culture  !  In  winter  they 
would  serve  as  barriers  against  tlie  drifting  snows,  diminish  the  amount  of  fuel  necessary  to  propel  the 
trains,  and  in  summer  they  would  afford  a  grateful  shade.  So  intimately  are  trees  associated  with  man, 
and  so  much  do  they  contribute  to  his  happiness  and  comfort,  that  their  culture  should  everywhere  be 
encouraged.  "  Persons  are  sometimes  prevented  from  planting  trees,  on  account  ot  the  slowness  of  their 
growth.  What  a  mistake  this  is  !  It  is  a  strange  feeling  to  feel  —a  strange  complaint  to  utter— that  any 
one  thinff  in  this  world,  animate  or  inanimate,  is  of  too  slow  growth,  for  the  nearer  to  its  perfection,  the 
nearer  to  its  decay."  ."  Let  each  young  man  plant  trees  that  he  may  have  something  ever  near  to  bring 
back  pleasing  recollections  of  his  youth,—  something,  when  he  is  an  old  man,  that  will  seem  ot  his  own 
age,  and  sympathise  with  him,  and  look  on  him  with  a  familiar  face,  that  he  may  not  feel  quite  alone 
among  anew  generation.  Let  the  old  man  plant  trees,  they  will  keep  him  alive  m  the  minds  of  men, 
the  memory  of  one  who  lived  not  for  himself" 

X  The  location  of  Lincoln  Park  is  all  that  could  be  desired,  serving  to  protect  the  city  from  the 
north-east  wind  in  spring.  A  park  in  the  north-western  part  of  the  city  is  needed,  extending  from 
Chicago  Avenue  north,  as  a  protection  from  the  bleak  north-west  winds  in  winter  and  spring  :  and,  also. 


8o  Public  Parks. 

INFLUENCE  OF  PARKS  ON  THE  MIND. 

We  have  thus  far  been  considering  the  influence  of  parks  and 
trees  on  the  physical  development ;  we  novv^  propose  to  call  attention 
to  their  influence  on  the  mental  condition.  In  fact,  such  is  the 
intimate  connection  between  the  two,  that  they  cannot  well  be  sepa- 
rated, as  a  sound  and  vigorous  mind  is  generally  dependent  upon  a 
healthy  condition  of  the  bodily  organs,  and  without  either,  the  object 
of  life  is  but  imperfectly  attained.  Juvenal,  long  ago,  declared 
that,  '"'•Sana  mens  in  sano  corpore^' — a  sound  mind  in  a  sound 
body — should  be  the  aspiration  of  every  one.  "  Health  of  mind,  as 
well  as  of  body,  is  not  only  productive  in  itself  of  a  greater  sum  of 
enjoyment  than  arises  from  other  sources,  but  is  the  only  condition 
of  our  frame  in  which  we  are  capable  of  receiving '  pleasure  from 
without."*  In  order,  therefore,  to  preserve  the  mind  from  impair- 
ment of  its  energies  and  the  derangement  of  its  functions,  physical 
exercise,  as  well  as  relaxation  and  recreation  is  necessary. 

We  live  in  an  atmosphere  of  excitement,  more  so,  perhaps,  than 
any  other  community  in  the  world,  and  it  is  therefore  more  neces- 
sary that  all  prudent  safeguards  should  be  thrown  around  us  to 
prevent  the  impairment  of  the  vigor  of  the  mind  and  the  inroads  of 
disease. 

We  have  neither  leisure  nor  inclination  to  bestow  many  thoughts 
upon  schemes  much  beyond  the  circle  of  our  ordinary  pursuits, 
and  our  happiness  consists  chiefly  in  the  accumulation  of  wealth, 
and  the  accomplishment  of  something  that  is  bold  and  novel.  The 
sources  of  gratification  are  too  few  to  furnish  much  relief  to  the 
excitement  of  our  daily  life,  and  our  social  intei'course  is  limited  to 
the  same  necessities. 

This  is  an  age  of  great  mental  activity,  and  nowhere  is  the  mind 
more  stimulated  than  in  Chicago.     While  it  is  true  that  the  judicious 

one  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  city,  extending  from  i6th  or  22d  Street  to  or  beyond  the  city  limits 
south,  to  moderate,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  south-west  winds,  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  in  winter 
and  summer,  and  to  absorb  the  miasmatic  exhalations  of  Mud  Lake  and  the  country  adjoining  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  A  park  should  also  be  located  south-east  of  the  city,  to  protect  it  against 
the  exhalations  of  the  Calumet  swamps,  and  the  depressing  effect  of  the  wind  from  that  direction.  A 
careful  examination  of  the  topography  of  the  localities  indicated,  will  reveal  the  fact,  in  addition  to  the 
other  reasons  named,  that  the  ground  is  low,  and  the  surface  drainage  is  bad,  and  that  the  location  of 
the  parks  will  obviate  this  objection,  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  lands  will  cost  less  than  if  taken  at 
other  places,  and  that  they  will  be  more  acceptable  to  all,  than  if  differently.placed.  In  other  words, 
for  sanitary  and  economical  considerations,  and  for  purposes  of  convenience,  they  are  best.  There  is  no 
city  in  the  world,  with  the  same  population,  where  the  immediate  surroundings  are  so  illy  improved,  as 
Chicago.  The  location  of  the  parks  in  tliese  directions  would  stimulate  the  improvement  and  culti- 
vation of  the  soil,  which  fact,  alone,  would  act  beneficently  in  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  but  it  would 
also  create  a  demand  for  the  manure  and  offal  of  the  city,  and  thus  indirectly  assist  in  improving  the 
public  health,  by  the  removal  of  offensive  materials,  while  the  cost  to  citizens  and  the  city  would  be  less 
than  it  now  is. 

*  Sir  James  Mackintosh, 


Public  Parks.  8 1 

use  of  an  organ,  increases  its  power  and  confirms  its  health  ;  but 
excessive  exercise  which  requires  an  undue  shai^e  of  vital  energy, 
leads  to  an  unhealthy  condition. 

"  Much  of  the  mental  activity  that  characterizes  our  people," 
says  a  distinguished  writer,  ''arises  from  the  abundant  opportunities 
that  are  offered  for  the  pursuit  of  wealth,  and  the  consequent  variety 
and  novelty  of  the  enterprises  undertaken  for  this  pui-pose.  All  are 
hoping  and  striving  to  make  or  greatly  to  advance  their  fortunes,  by 
some  happy  stroke  of  skill,  some  nicely  balanced  combination  of 
chances,  or  some  daring  speculation.  The  result,  all  can  see  and 
admire,  but  few  know  anything  of  the  wear  and  tear  of  mind  by 
which  it  was  achieved.  Indeed,  our  ways  of  doing  business,  our 
notions  of  property,  our  ideas  of  happiness,  all  indicate,  as  strongly 
as  traits  of  character  can,  that  a  large  portion  of  our  fellow  citizens 
habitually  live  and  move  and  have  their  being  under  an  extraor- 
dinary pressure  of  excitement  that  brooks  neither  failure  or  delay. 
If  unsuccessful  in  one  attempt,  our  inexhaustible  resources  furnish 
the  means  and  opportunities  of  trying  another,  while  misfortune  and 
disappointment  stimulate  rather  than  depress  the  mental  energies."* 

With  how  much  truth  and  force  can  these  remarks  be  applied 
to  the  inhabitants  of  our  city,  and  their  force  is  but  too  apparent  in 
the  rapid  consumption  of  the  mental  powers,  and  the  tendency  to 
diseases  of  this  character,  f 

This  is  not  alone  the  result  of  diseases  of  the  mind,  but  of  others, 
particularly  consumption,  as  will  be  seen  by  an  examination  of  a 
table  found  elsewhere,  where  the  deaths  of  males  during  the  specu- 
lative excitement  of  1S56,  and  the  consequent  financial  revulsion  of 
1S57  ^^^  1S58,  greatly  exceed  those  of  females,  and,  also,  in  the  first 
years  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  :  and,  no  doubt,  such  was  also  the 
result  of  the  depressing  effect  of  the  cholera  on  the  mind,  in 
increasing  the  mortality  by  this  disease,  during  the  last  half  of  1866 
and  the  first  half  of  1867. 

*  Ray,  Mental  Hygiene. 

t  Owing  to  the  different  spheres  in  which  the  two  sexes  move,  the  effects  of  an  undue  exercise  of 
the  mental  powers  are  more  apparent  in  the  male  sex,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  foUowmg  statement  : 
Since  July  ist,  1851,  179  males,  and  77  females,  have  died  of  apoplexy :  363  males,  and  269  lemales,  o) 
dropsy  of  the  brain  ;  1,613  males,  and  1,308  females,  of  convulsions  (nothmg  unusual  m  this  difference 
of  the  sexes,  as  more  males  are  born,  and  there  is  a  greater  mortality  among  males  in  infancy) ;  epilepsy, 
29  males,  and  16  females;  palsv,  93  males,  and  58  females.  In  apoplexy,  epilepsy,  and  palsy,  a  better 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  effect  of  the  great  mental  activity  that  characterizes  our  people,  although 
there  is  no  doubt  tliat  we  have  an  excess  of  males  in  this  city.  My  confidence  in  the  statistics,  I  must 
confess,  is  not  what  it  should  be,  as,  during  the  period  in  which  they  were  reported,  no  less  than  3.766 
deaths  are  ascribed  to  unknown  causes.  This  will,  however,  be  better  appreciated  by  the  statistics  of 
those  who  have  died  of  old  age  during  the  same  period.  Of  these  there  were,  males,  359,  and  females, 
398.  The  mortality  should  be  about  die  same,  owing  to  the  fact  that  we  have  always  had  a  larger  male 
population  than  female,  giving  due  credit  for  the  greater  female  longevity. 


82 


Public  Parks, 


We  do  not  seem  to  appreciate  that  the  highest  degree  of  health 
is  necessary  to  insure  the  most  complete  success,  nor  the  importance 
of  the  maxim  '■'•Festina  lente."  We  need  not  be  in  such  haste.  Our 
climatic,  independent  of  our  geographical,  position  gives  us  vast 
advantages  over  our  rivals,  and  it  is  a  w^ell  established  fact  in 
European  civilization,  that  cUmate  has  exercised  the  greatest  influ- 
ence on  the  physical  and  intellectual  development  of  man.*  We, 
perhaps  more  than  any  other  community,  need  all  the  possible  safe- 
guards against  over-work  to  be  throw^n  around  us,  and  I  know 
of  no  better  way  than  by  the  creation  of  parks,  that  will  be  an 
ornament  to  the  city,  and  places  of  resort,  where  all  may  enjoy 
themselves  in  a  rational  and  healthful  manner.  We  need  parks  to 
induce  out-door  exercise,  and  for  the  pleasant  influences  connected 
with  them,  which  are  so  beneficial  to  our  over-worked  business  men, 
to  dyspeptics,  to  those  afflicted  with  nervous  diseases,  and,  partic- 
ularly, to  the  consumptive.! 

*  Buckle's  History  of  Civilization. 

t  Contrai-y  to  the  received  opinion,  I  find,  upon  careful  investigation,  that  the  mortality  by  Con- 
sumption is  not  as  great  here  as  in  nearly  all  the  other  large  cities  of  the  United  States.  It  has  been 
estimated  that  about  one-sixth  of  all  the  deaths  among  the  human  race  occurs  from  this  disease,  and 
that  of  2,771,728  deaths  from  all  diseases,  between  1S04  and  i86o,  483,728  deaths,  or  i  in  57,  were  caused 
by  Consumption.  [Dr.  H.  B.  Millard.]  In  Boston  the  mortality  is  great,  and  not  much  change  in  the 
rate  has  taken  place,  while  in  New  York  the  deaths  have  steadily  diminished.  Females  are  more  liable 
than  males,  no  doubt  owing  to  their  leading  more  sedentary  lives.  It  has  been  found  that  the  disease 
is  less  apt  to  be  developed  in  rural  districts,  and  that  the  liability  to  it  is  increased  by  want  of  exercise 
and  confined  air.  The  important  part  that  parks  exercise  over  this  disease  will,  therefore,  be  appre- 
ciated, in  the  inducements  they  offer  to  exercise  in  the  open  air.  The  following  table  will  show  the 
mortality  of  Chicago,  and  other  cities. 

DEATHS  BY  CONSUMPTION  FROM  JULY  ist,  1S51,  TO  JANUARY  ist,  1869. 


Six  Months,  1851. 

Year  of  lS.i2 

"   "  185.3 


1854. 
1855. 
1856. 
18.57. 
1858. 
18.50. 
1860. 
1861. 
1862. 
1863. 
1864. 
1865. 
1866. 
1867. 
1808. 


Males. 


23 
63 

103 
104 
91 
174 
145 
196 
127 
144 
196 

>:03 

136 
216 
189 
226 
223 
238 


2,797 


Females. 


18 
49 
64 
91 
63 
112 
108 
133 
120 
128 
120 
146 
131 
195 
147 
180 
181 
180 


2,166 


Total. 


41 
112 
167 
195 
154 
286 
253 
329 
247 
272 
316 
.349 
267 
411 
336 
406 
404 
418 


4,963 


Population. 


39,685 

49,407 

59,130 

09,565 

80,000 

84,113 

92,113 

96,363 

101,780 

109,260 

123,623 

138,186 

153,769 

169,353 

178,492 

200,418 

225,326 

252,054 


One 
Death  in 


First  nine  years . 
Last      "        " 


A  verage  Excess  of  Males  over  Females. 


484 
'Ml 
354 
357 
519 
294 
364 
293 
412 
402 
.391 
396 
576 
412 
531 
493 
557 
603 


Excess 
of  Males 

over 
Females. 


5 
14 
39 
13 
23 
62 
37 
63 

16 
76 
57 
5 
31 
42 
46 
42 
58 


631 


.30  per  annum. 
.40     " 


Public  Parks.  83 

We  need  parks  for  our  school  children,  as  we  have  no  places 
to  which  they  can  resort  for  out-of-door  play,  and  where  they  can 
obtain  healthful  recreation,  with  the  exception  of  the  limited  grounds 
surrounding  the  school  houses.  They  can  also  be  made  use  of  as 
the  means  of  instruction,  by  the  arboretum,  botanical  collections  and 
the  collections  of  animals  that  are  found  in  them. 

The  moral  influence  of  parks  is  decided.  Man  is  brought  in 
contact  with  nature, — is  taken  away  from  the  artificial  conditions  in 
which  he  lives  in  cities  ;  and  such  associations  exercise  a  vast  influence 
for  good.  In  the  Central  Park,  only  56S  arrests  have  been  made, 
and  these  of  a  trivial  character,  out  of  30,731,847  visitors.  '''•The 
people  of  Salthnore  have  been  their  ovjn  conservators  of  the 
-parks.  They  appreciate  and  etijoy  the?n.,  and  they  preserve  thefn. 
The  appeal  made  to  them  by  the  co??i?nissiotz  in  the  first  year  of 
the  parks,  has  been  most  fully  and  honorably  responded  to."  *  We 
have  no  places  of  resort  on  holidays.  By  creating  them,  we  take 
many  away  from  other  and  worse  places,  and  thus  do  much  toward 
encouraging  the  young  in  habits  of  sobriety  and  temperance.  They 
also  afford  a  field  for  the  exercise  of  those  robust  games  which  tend 
so  much  to  the  development  of  the  physical  system. 

From  the  preceding  observations,  particularly  on  the  local 
topography  and  chai-acter  of  the  diseases,  there  ought  to  be  little 
doubt  as  to  the  proper  positions  in  which  parks  should  be  located,  in 
order  to  make  them  alike  convenient  to  the  city,  and  promotive  of 
the  public  health. 

There  is  upon  this  question  a  community  of  interest  betw^een 
the  different  sections  of  the  city,  which  ought  to  override  all  consid- 
erations of  a  local  natui-e,  and  lead  to  harmonious  action.  All 
should  cooperate  to  give  each  section  the  full  benefits  of  such  public 
resorts,  bearing  in  mind,  that  while  one  portion  of  the  city  may  be 
locally  favored,  the  entire  population  share  in  the  advantages.  While 
one  portion  of  the  city  may  be  peculiarly  exposed  to  malaria,  the 


A  verage  Excess  of  Males  over  Fe7nales,  compared  luith  Population. 

First  nine  years i  in  2489  of  Population. 

Last     "        "     I  in  4291    "  " 

A  verage  Proportion  of  Deaths  by  Consumption. 

First  nine  years i  in  367  of  deaths  from  all  causes. 

Last       "         "     I  in  4S4   "         "         "       "         " 

Philadelphia,  1862,  i   in  7  7-9,  or   13  per  cent  ;  1S63,  i  in  7  2-3  or  13  per  cent.  ;   1864,  1  in  7  5-8, 
or  13  per  cent.  :  1S67,  i  in  6  1-2,  or  15  1-2  per  cent.     New  Orleans,  1867,  i  in  15,  or  6  6-10  per  cent. 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1868,  I  in  10  1-3,  or  9  7-10  per  cent.     Providence,  R.  L,   1866,  i  in  s  1-7,  or  19  4-10 
per  cent.     Chicago,  i868,  i  in  14  1-3,  or  7  per  cent.     New  York,  1867,  12  percent. 
*  Ninth  Annual  Report  Park  Commission. 


84  Public  Parks, 

subtle  and  invisible  influence  may  be  wafted  to  the  remotest  parts, 
abated  in  virulence,  but  still  pestiferous. 

In  this  connection,  we  may  use  the  language  of  Lucretius,  in 
reference  to  the  plague  : 

"  When  first  the  air,  surcharged  with  poisonous  power, 
Moves  far  remote,  we  deem  it  but  a  mist. 
Or  floating  cloud  ;  but  having  reached  our  midst. 
Distils  throughout  its  course  a  fatal  dew 
Which  blights  and  kills." 

During  the  past  season,  in  July,  the  south-east  wind  blew  for 
several  days,  carrying  with  it  the  exhalations  of  the  Calumet  swamps 
and  diffusing  them  over  the  entire  city,  causing  a  marked  mortality 
in  the  Twelfth  ward.  The  south-west  wind  is  the  prevailing  one,  as 
we  have  seen,  during  the  summer  and  autumn  months,  and  the 
mortality,  for  the  past  year,  was  greater  in  the  Thirteenth  ward 
than  in  the  Fifth,  where,  so  far  as  relates  to  drainage,  cleanliness, 
comforts  of  living,  &c.,  the  conditions  are  far  inferior. 

Regarding,  then,  this  question  in  a  comprehensive  view,  it  maybe 
affirmed  that  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  location  of  parks 
are  not  of  a  local,  but  general  character,  and  such  as  should  enlist, 
in  their  establishment,  the  efforts  of  every  citizen  who  has  the 
welfare  of  the  city  at  heart. 


Park  Acts. 


NORTH  CHICAGO. 

An  Act  to    Fix    the    Boundaries  of   Lincoln   Park    in   the  City  of 
Chicago,  and  Provide  for  its  Improvement. 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois^  repre- 
sented in  the  General  Assembly :  That  all  of  the  land  situate  and  lying 
within  the  following  boundaries,  to-wit :  Commencing  at  the  intersection  of 
North  avenue  in  the  city  of  Chicago  and  county  of  Cook  with  Lake 
Michigan,  and  running  thence  west  along  said  North  avenue  to  North  Clark 
street;  thence  along  North  Clark  street  to  North  Franklin  street;  thence 
along  North  Franklin  street  to  FuUerton  avenue ;  thence  along  Fullerton 
avenue  to  the  west  line  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  28  in  township 
40,  north  of  range  14  east  of  the  third  principal  meridian;  thence  along  said 
west  line  to  the  northwest  corner  of  said  southeast  quarter  of  section  28; 
thence  along  the  north  line  of  said  southeast  quarter  to  Lake  Michigan ;  and 
thence  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  at  low  water  mark,  as  the  same 
now  is  or  hereafter  may  be,  to  the  place  of  beginning — be,  and  the  same  is 
hereby,  declared  to  be  a  public  park,  to  be  known  as  Lincoln  Park,  and  shall 
be  deemed  to  have  been  taken  by  the  city  of  Chicago  for  public  use  and  for 
a  public  park. 

Sec.  2.  All  of  said  land  now  belonging  to  the  city  of  Chicago  shall  be 
and  is  hereby  appropriated  for  such  park  without  any  compensation  to  the 
city,  and  the  title  of  any  of  said  land  not  now  owned  by  the  city  may  be 
acquired  by  said  city  by  purchase  or  condemnation  as  herein  provided.  The 
Board  of  Commissioners  of  Lincoln  Park,  as  hereinafter  created,  may 
purchase  any  of  said  lands  at  fair  and  reasonable  prices,  to  be  determined 
by  them  and  paid  for  out  of  bonds  or  money  coming  to  their  hands  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  the  title  thereto,  and  the  same  shall  be  conveyed  to  and 
vest  in  the  city,  to  be  used  as  a  part  of  the  park,  or  the  same  may  be  acquired 
in  the  manner  hereinafter  set  forth. 

Sec.  3.  Three  discreet  and  competent  freeholders,  citizens  of  Chicago, 
shall  be  appointed  by  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  within  three 
months  after  the  passage  of  this  act,  and  on  application  of  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  said  park,  to  act  as  appraisers  in  relation  to  the  taking 
and  the  value  of  said  lands  mentioned  in  the  first  section  of  this  act  or  any 
part  thereof,  and  in  case  of  the  death,  resignation,  disqualification  or  refusal 
to  act  of  eithei  of  said  appraisers,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  circuit 
court,  at  any  general  or  special   term  thereof,  on  application  of  said  Board 


ii  Appendix. 

of  Commissioners,  and  from  time  to  time,  as  often  as  said  event  shall 
happen,  to  appoint  ahj  other  discreet  or  disinterested  person,  being  a  citizen 
of  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  the  place  of  said  appraisers  so  dying,  resigning  or 
refusing  to  act,  and  said  appraisers  shall  proceed  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
their  appointment,  and  to  complete  their  estimate  and  awards,  as  soon  as 
conveniently  may  be,  and  shall  file  their  final  report  in  the  office  of  the 
clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county  within  three  months  of  the  date 
of  their  appointment. 

Sec.  4.  It  shall  be  competent  and  lawful  for  a  majority  of  of  said  Board 
of  Appraisers,  designated  as  aforesaid,  to  perform  the  trust  and  duties  of 
their  appointment;  and  their  acts  shall  be  as  valid  and  effectual  as  the  acts 
of  all  the  appraisers  so  to  be  appointed,  if  they  had  acted  therein,  would 
have  been.  And  in  every  case  the  proceedings  and  decisions  of  a  majority 
in  number  of  said  Board  of  Appraisers,  acting  in  the  premises  shall  be  as 
valid  and  effectual  as  if  the  said  appraisers  appointed  for  such  purposes  had 
all  concurred  and  joined  therein. 

Sec.  5.  The  appraisers  herein  provided  for  in  relation  to  the  taking  and 
the  value  of  any  of  the  lands  mentioned  in  the  first  section  of  this  act,  shall 
make  just  and  true  estimate  of  the  value  of  such  lands  and  of  the  loss  and 
damage  to  the  respective  owners,  lessees  and  parties  and  persons  respectively 
entitled  to  or  interested  in  the  same,  together  with  the  tenements,  heredita- 
ments and  appurtenances,  privileges  or  advantages  to  the  same  belonging  or 
in  any  wise  appertaining,  by  and  in  consequence  of  the  relinquishing  the 
same  to  the  said  city  of  Chicago ;  and  in  making  said  estimate  they  shall  not 
make  any  deduction  or  allowance  for  any  supposed  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  taking  said  lands  as  public  places  or  in  consequence  thereof;  and  the 
amounts  so  estimated,  when  duly  confirmed,  shall  be  paid  as  hereinafter  in 
this  act  provided.  Whenever  such  estimate  shall  be  completed,  they  shall 
file  the  same  with  the  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  and  there- 
upon proceedings  may  be  had  to  correct  or  confirm  the  same  as  in  this  act 
provided. 

Sec.  6.  Said  appraisers  and  any  party  being  the  owner  of,  or  interested 
in,  any  of  the  lands  mentioned  in  this  act,  may  agree  upon  the  value  thereof 
and  upon  the  amount  of  damages  and  compensation  to  be  awarded  therefor, 
and  said  appraisers  may  make  special  reports  in  relation  to  any  matter  so 
agreed  upon,  and  any  such  special  report  may  be  filed  and  proceedings  may 
be  had  to  confirm  the  same,  and  the  same  may  be  confirmed  in  the  same 
manner  and  with  like  effect,  as  is  provided  herein  with  relation  to  other 
reports  of  said  appraisers;  and  upon  the  confirmation  of  any  such  special 
report,  the  amount  of  the  awards  thus  confirmed  shall  be  paid  in  the  same 
manner  as  if  such  awards  had  been  made  in  a  general  report  of  said  apprais- 
ers and  duly  confirmed. 

Sec.  7.  Before  proceeding  to  discharge  any  of  their  duties  the  appraisers 
shall  respectively  take  and  subscribe  an  oath  in  writing  before  some  officer 
authorized  by  law  to  administer  oaths,  honestly  and  faithfully  to  discharge 
the  duties  which  may  devolve  upon  them,  in  pursuance  of  this  act,  which 
oath  shall  be   filed  in  the  office   of  the  clerk  of   the  county  court  of  the 


Afpendix.  iii 

county  of  Cook.  Said  appraisers  shall  proceed  as  soon  as  may  be  after  their 
appointment  to  discharge  the  duties  of  their  trust,  and  to  make  and  com- 
plete their  estimates  and  awards,  and  reports,  as  hereinafter  provided,  and 
ever}'  estimate,  award  and  report  so  made,  shall  be  signed  by  at  least  a  ma- 
jority of  said  appraisers,  and  filed  in  the  office  of  the  circuit  court  of  the 
county  of  Cook,  and  notice  thereof  given  to  the  counsel  for  the  corporation 
of  the  said  city  of  Chicago,  within  ten  days  after  receiving  such  notice  of  the 
filing  of  any  report  of  such  Board  of  Appraisers,  said  Corporation  Counsel 
shall  give  notice  by  publication  for  ten  days,  in  at  least  two  daily  papers  of 
the  said  city  of  Chicago,  that  he  will,  at  a  term  of  said  circuit  court  desig- 
nated therein,  and  at  the  time  and  place  to  be  designated,  in  said  notice, 
present  said  report  for  confirmation.  And  if  said  Corporation  Counsel  shall 
not,  within  the  time  prescribed,  cause  such  notice  to  be  given,  and  the  report 
to  be  presented  for  confirmation,  then  such  notice  may  be  given,  and  said 
report  ma}- be  presented  for  confirmation,  as  above  described,  by  said  apprais- 
ers, or  by  any  party  whose  lands  are  to  be  taken,  and  to  whom  compensation 
is  estimated  and  awarded  by  such  report.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  court, 
at  the  time  mentioned  in  said  notice,  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  hearing 
of  said  report,  and  it  shall  have  priority  over  all  other  causes  pending  in  said 
court.  The  said  court  shall  pronounce  judgment  on  said  report,  and  shall 
confirm  the  same  against  the  several  lots  or  parcels  of  land  described  in  said 
report  in  respect  to  which  no  objections  shall  be  filed,  and  such  judgment 
shall  be  a  lawful  and  sufficient  condemnation  of  the  lands  and  property 
appropriated  and  sought  to  be  condemned  and  not  objected  to;  and  the  court 
shall  hear  and  determine  all  objections  in  a  summary  way,  without  pleadings, 
and  shall  and  may,  on  such  hearing,  when  objections  have  been  interposed, 
render  such  judgment  as  shall  seem  proper,  modifying  and  changing  such 
assessment  as  it  shall  deem  proper,  and  any  appeal  therefrom  shall  not  inval- 
idate or  aftect  said  judgment,  or  delay  the  same  except  as  to  the  property 
described  in  said  appeal.  Such  judgment,  as  far  as  not  appealed  from,  shall 
be  a  lawful  and  sufficient  condemnation  of  the  lands  and  property  appropri- 
ated, and  any  appeal  shall  not  delay  the  proceedings  under  said  judgment, 
except  as  to   the  property  described  in  said  appeal. 

Sec.  S.  Payment  of  the  damages  awarded  in  and  by  the  judgments 
entered  as  aforesaid  shall  be  made  immediately,  and  the  Board  of  Park  Com- 
missioners, as  hereinafter  appointed,  may  either  pay  such  damage  to  the 
person  appearing  to  be  entitled  to  the  same,  or  bring  into  the  said  circuit 
court  and  deposit  with  the  clerk  thereof  the  amount  of  such  damage,  speci- 
fying at  the  time  of  each  deposit,  in  a  written  report,  to  be  made  to  said 
court,  the  several  pieces  of  land  condemned,  and  which  are  paid  for  by  said 
deposit,  and  upon  payment  being  made  as  aforesaid,  the  said  lands  shall  vest 
forever  in  the  said  city  of  Chicago  for  the  purposes  and  uses  in  this  act 
mentioned. 

Sec.  9.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  any  person  or  persons  owning  cemetery 
lots  included  within  the  lands  in  the  first  section  of  this  act  described  and  to 
be  condemned  by  said  commissioners,  to  remove  any  bodies  that  may  be 
therein  interred,  within  six  months  of  the  confirmation  of  so  much  of  the 


iv  Appendix. 

report  of  said  commissioners  as  relates  to  said  lots ;  and  if  said  removal 
shall  not  be  made  within  six  months,  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners 
may,  at  any  time  thereafter,  make  such  removal. 

Sec.  lo.  The  appraisers  shall  also,  as  a  part  of  Lincoln  Park,  lay  out  a 
drive  tvfo  hundred  feet  wide  (so  the  east  line  shall  be  the  waters  of  Lake 
Michigan),  from  Pine  street  to  the  south  line  of  said  park,  and  shall  proceed 
to  make  an  assessment  for  the  payment  of  the  land  taken  for  the  same, 
according  to  the  provisions  of  the  charter  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  staking 
lands  for  the  opening  of  a  street,  and  shall  file  their  report  with  the  clerk  of 
the  circuit  court,  when  the  same  proceedings  shall  be  had  as  provided  in 
this  act  in  regard  to  the  lands  to  be  taken  for  the  park.  The  said  circuit 
court  may  render  judgment  against  the  lands  and  lots  assessed  for  the  seve- 
ral amounts  assessed  for  benefits  remaining  unpaid,  and  the  collection  thereof 
shall  be  made  and  enforced,  as  is  the  case  for  the  collection  for  taxes,  and  the 
money  so  collected  shall  be  paid  to  the  Park  Commissioners,  and  by  them 
paid  to  the  several  persons  entitled  to  damages  for  lands  taken  for  such  drive. 

Sec.  II.  Such  drive,  when  thus  laid  out,  shall  be  a  part  of  said  Lincoln 
Park,  and  shall  be  under  the  control  and  management  of  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners to  the  same  extent  as  herein  provided  in  reference  to  said  park, 
and  it  shall  be  improved  by  the  same  means. 

Sec.  12.  For  the  purpose  of  paying  for  the  land  taken  for  such  park, 
under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  bonds  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  to  such  an 
amount  as  shall  be  necessary  for  that  purpose,  shall  be  issued  by  the  Mayor, 
Comptroller  and  Clerk  of  said  city,  from  time  to  time,  as  the  same  shall  be 
required  by  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  and 
shall  be  delivered  to  said  board  upon  demand,  and  said  bonds  shall  be  paya- 
ble twenty  years  from  the  date  thereof,  and  shall  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of 
seven  per  cent,  per  annum,  payable  half  yearly  on  the  first  days  of  January 
and  July,  in  each  year;  and  the  said  bonds,  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sale 
thereof,  shall  constitute  the  fund  for  paying  the  cost  of  the  lands  taken  for 
the  park. 

Sec.  13.  As  said  bonds  shall  from  time  to  time  issue,  the  comptroller 
shall  cause  to  be  kept  in  his  office,  in  a  book  to  be  provided  for  that  purpose, 
a  true  and  correct  statement  and  account  of  each  and  every  bond  by  him 
executed,  showing  the  number  of  each  bond,  and  the  date  and  amount  thereof, 
and  the  time  when  due  (and  said  books  shall  be  open  for  public  inspection), 
and  which  books  shall  be  delivered  by  him  to  his  successor  in  oifice.  The 
comptroller  shall  take  a  receipt  from  the  person  authorized  by  said  board  to 
receive  said  bonds. 

Sec  14.  The  bonds  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  which  shall  be  issued  by 
virtue  of  this  act,  may  be  used  by  said  Board  of  Commissioners  at  their  par 
value,  by  paying  any  amount  which  said  city  shall  have  become  liable  to  pay 
for  such  lands  purchased  or  condemned  under  this  act,  or  the  same  may  be 
sold  at  public  or  private  sale,  or  subscription,  upon  such  terms  as  said  com- 
missioners shall  determine;  and  the  said  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  may 
pledge  any  of  said  bonds  for  money  borrowed  temporarily,  at  an  ordinary 
rate  of  interest,  not  exceeding  10  per  cent,  per  annum,  if  they  shall  deem  it 
necessary  and  expedient  so  to  do. 


Appettdix.  V 

Sec.  15.  The  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  shall  cause  a  full  description 
of  the  bonds  received  from  the  city,  to  be  entered  in  a  record,  to  be  provided 
for  that  purpose,  which  shall  show  the  date,  number  and  amount  of  each 
bond,  the  time  when  received,  the  time  when  and  to  whom  sold,  and  the 
amount  received  therefor,  and  shall,  on  or  before  the  ist  day  of  April  in  each 
year,  furnish  a  copy  thereof,  verified  by  the  oath  of  the  custodian  of  such 
records,  to  the  city  comptroller. 

Sec.  16.  The  propertj-^  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  the  lands  authorized 
to  be  taken  by  this  act  for  a  public  park,  are  hereby  pledged  for  the  payment 
of  the  principal  and  interest  of  said  bonds. 

Sec.  17.  The  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  hereinafter  mentioned,  is 
hereby  authorized,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of 
October  in  each  year,  to  fix  upon  the  amount,  not  exceeding  $75,000,  that 
may  be  necessary  to  be  expended  for  the  improvement  and  repair  of  said 
park  and  drive  during  the  next  succeeding  year,  and  certify  the  same  to  the 
clerk  of  the  county  court  of  Cook  county,  and  said  clerk  shall  apportion 
said  amount  upon  the  taxable  property  returned  by  the  Assessors  of  North 
Chicago  and  Lake  View,  and  compute  the  same  as  part  of  the  taxes  due  and 
payable  by  the  owners  of  said  property  set  down  or  described  in  a  separate 
column  headed  "Lincoln  Park  Tax,"  and  the  same  shall  be  included  in  the 
warrant  issued  for  the  collection  of  taxes,  and  collected  as  other  taxes.  In 
case  of  a  failure  to  pay  the  same,  judgment  may  be  rendered  against  the 
real  estate  assessed,  and  the  like  proceedings  had  as  for  other  taxes.  The 
taxes  so  collected  shall  be  paid  to  the  park  commissioners,  and  used  by  them 
in  improving  and  keeping  in  repair  the  park  and  drive. 

Sec.  18.  The  appraisers  appointed  by  virtue  of  this  act,  shall  have 
authority  to  employ  surveyors,  and  to  use  any  map  or  file  belonging  to  said 
city  or  to  said  county  of  Cook,  and  to  cause  maps  to  be  made  as  may  be 
necessary,  and  said  appraisers  shall  be  allowed  a  compensation  of  five  dol- 
lars per  day  for  their  time  actually  employed  in  discharging  their  duty  as 
such  appraisers,  and  all  such  compensation  and  the  necessary  expenses  in 
discharging  their  duties,  shall  be  allowed  and  taxed  by  the  court  aforesaid, 
and  paid  by  said  city  of  Chicago,  and  shall  be  added  to  and  become  a  part  of 
the  cost  of  said  park. 

Sec.  19.  The  said  Lincoln  Park  shall  be  under  the  exclusive  control  of 
a  Board  of  Commissioners  to  consist  of  five  persons,  who  shall  be  named 
and  styled  the  Commissioners  of  Lincoln  Park.  A  majority  of  said  commis- 
sioners (in  office  for  the  time  being),  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  trans- 
action of  business;  but  no  action  of  said  board  shall  be  final  or  binding 
until  it  shall  receive  the  approval  of  a  majority  of  said  board,  whose  names 
shall  be  recorded  in  its  minutes. 

Sec.  20.  E.  B.  McCagg,  John  B.  Turner,  Andrew  Nelson,  Joseph  Stock- 
ton and  Jacob  Rehm,  are  hereby  appointed  and  shall  constitute  the  first 
Board  of  Commissioners  of  Lincoln  Park.  They  shall  hold  office  as  such 
commissioners  for  five  years.  No  member  of  such  board  shall  receive  any 
compensation  for  his  services.  In  case  of  a  vacancy  within  said  five  years, 
the  same  may  be  filled  by  the  remaining  members  of  said  board,  and  all 


vi  Appendix. 

vacancies  occasioned  bj  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  office,  shall  be  filled  by 
the  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county. 

Sec.  21.  The  said  board  shall  have  full  and  exclusive  power  to  govern, 
manage  and  direct  the  said  park;  to  lay  out  and  regulate  the  same;  to  pass 
ordinances  for  the  regulation  and  government  thereof;  to  appoint  such 
engineers,  surveyors  and  other  officers,  except  a  police  force,  as  may  be 
necessary ;  to  prescribe  and  define  their  respective  duties  and  authority ;  to  fix 
the  amount  of  their  compensation,  and  to  require  bonds  for  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  their  duties;  and  generally,  in  regard  to  said  park,  shall  possess 
all  the  power  and  authority  now  by  law  conferred  on  or  possessed  by  the 
cominon  council  of  said  city  in  respect  to  public  squares  and  places  in  said 
city.  They  may  vacate  any  public  street  or  alley  within  the  limits  of  said 
park,  and  shall  lay  out  a  street  not  exceeding  one  hundred  feet,  and  not  less 
than  eighty  feet  in  width,  north  from  Fullerton  avenue,  along  the  west  line 
of  said  park  to  the  northern  boundary  thereof,  and  may  exercise  the  same 
power  and  control  over  such  street  as  the  rest  of  the  park. 

Sec.  22.  It  shall  be  a  misdemeanor  for  any  commissioner  to  be  directly 
or  indirectly  in  any  way  pecuniarily  interested  in  any  contract,  or  work  of  any 
kind  whatever,  connected  with  said  park;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  any 
commissioner,  or  other  person  who  may  have  any  knowledge  or  information 
of  the  violation  of  this  provision,  forthwith  to  report  the  same  to  the  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Chicago,  who  shall  present  the  facts  of  the  case  to  the  judge  of 
the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county.  Such  judge  shall  hear  in  a  summary 
manner  such  commissioner  in  relation  thereto,  and  if  after  such  hearing  he 
shall  be  satisfied  of  the  truth  thereof,  he  shall  immediately  remove  the 
commissioner  thus  offending,  subject  to  a  fine  and  imprisonment.  Every 
commissioner  shall,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  take  and 
subscribe  an  oath  faithfully  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  office,  which  oath 
shall  be  filed  in  the  office  of  the  said  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  the  county 
of  Cook,  and  shall  each  give  a  bond  in  the  penal  sum  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty,  and  payable  to  the  city  of 
Chicago. 

Sec.  23.  Said  Board  of  Commissioners  for  the  government  of  said  park 
shall,  in  the  month  of  April  of  each  year,  make  to  the  common  council  of 
said  city,  a  full  report  of  their  proceedings  and  a  detailed  statement  of  all 
their  receipts  and  expenses,  under  oath.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  com- 
missioners to  let  all  amounts  exceeding  in  amount  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars,  by  contract,  in  the  manner  provided  in  the  charter  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  for  letting  the  contracts  for  public  improvements. 

Sec.  24.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  commissioners  of  said  park  to  let, 
from  year  to  year,  any  building,  and  the  grounds  attached  thereto,  belonging 
to  said  city,  which  may  be  within  the  limits  of  said  city,  until  the  same  shall 
be  required  for  the  laying  out  and  regulation  thereof,  when  the  said  buildings 
shall  be  removed,  except  such  as  may  be  used  for  the  purposes  of  such  park. 
The  said  commissioners  may  sell  any  building  or  other  material,  being 
within  the  limits  of  said  park  and  belonging  to  said  city,  which,  in  their 
judgment,  shall  not  be  required  for  the  purposes  of  said  park,  or  for  public 


Appendix.  vii 

use,  and  the  proceeds  of  which  shall  he  deposited  to  the  credit  of  said  com- 
missioners, and  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  the  park 

Sec,  25.  None  of  the  said  commissioners,  nor  any  persons,  whether  in 
the  employ  of  the  said  commissioners  or  otherwise,  shall  have  the  power  to 
create  any  debt,  obligation,  claim  or  liability  for  or  on  account  of  said  board, 
or  the  monies  or  properties  under  his  control,  except  with  the  express 
authority  of  said  board,  conferred  at  a  meeting  thereof  duly  convened  and 
held. 

Sec.  26.  The  office  of  either  the  said  commissioners  who  shall  not 
attend  the  meetings  of  said  board  for  three  successive  months,  after  having 
been  dulj'  notified  of  said  meetings,  without  reason  therefor  satisfactory  to 
the  said  board,  or  without  leave  of  absence  from  said  board,  may  be  by  said 
board  declared  vacant. 

Sec.  27.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  Board  of  Commissioners  at  any 
meeting  thereof,  duly  convened,  to  pass  such  ordinances  as  they  may  deem 
necessary  for  the  regulation,  use,  and  government  of  the  park  under  their 
charge,  not  inconsistent  with  the  provisions  of  this  act.  Such  ordinances 
shall  immediately,  upon  their  passage,  be  published  for  ten  days,  in  two  daily 
papers  in  said  city. 

Sec.  28.  The  persons  oftending  against  said  ordinances  shall  be  deemed 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  shall  be  punished,  on  conviction,  before  any 
court  of  competent  jurisdiction  in  the  county  of  Cook,  by  a  fine  not 
exceeding  one  thousand  dollars,  or  by  imprisonment,  or  both,  in  the  discre- 
tion of  the  court. 

Sec.  29.  Real  and  personal  property  may  be  granted,  bequeathed  or 
conveyed  to  said  city  of  Chicago,  for  the  purpose  of  the  improvement  or 
ornamentation  of  said  park,  or  for  the  establishment  or  maintenance,  within 
the  limits  of  said  park,  of  museums,  zoological,  or  other  gardens,  collections 
of  natural  history  or  works  of  art,  upon  such  trusts  and  conditions  as  may 
be  prescribed  by  the  grantors  and  donors  thereof,  and  agreed  to  by  said 
Boai-d  of  Park  Commissioners;  and  all  property  so  devised,  granted, 
bequeathed  or  conveyed,  and  the  rents,  issues,  profit  and  income  thereof, 
shall  be  subject  to  the  exclusive  management,  direction  and  control  of  the 
commissioners  of  the  park. 

Sec.  30.     This  act  shall  take  effect  from  and  after  its  passage. 

Approved  Feb.  8,  1869. 


SOUTH    CHICAGO. 

Act  to  Provide  for  the  Location  and  Maintenance  of  a  Park  for 
THE  Towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde  Park  and  Lake. 

Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
represented  in  the  General  Assembly :  That  five  persons,  who  shall  be 
appointed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  together  with  their 
successors,  be,  and  they  are  hereby  constituted  a  Board  of  Public  Park 
Commissioners,  for  the  towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde  Park,  and  Lake,  to 


viii  Appendix. 

be  known  under  the  name  of  The  South  Park  Commissioners;  and  in  case 
of  the  failure  of  any  of  said  persons  to  accept  such  appointment,  and  to 
qualify  thereunder  as  hereinafter  provided,  within  sixty  days  after  the 
passage  of  this  act,  the  place  of  such  person  in  said  commission  shall  be 
thereby  vacated,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  a  majority  of  the  commissioners 
so  accepting,  to  appoint  some  suitable  person  to  fill  the  place  thus  made 
vacant,  which  appointment,  when  accepted  by  such  nominee,  shall  consti- 
tute such  person  a  commissioner  under  this  act.  And  a  majority  of  said 
commissioners  shall  so  continue  to  nominate  until  the  board  shall  consist 
of  five  persons.  Each  of  said  commissioners,  before  entering  upon  the 
duties  of  his  office,  shall  take  an  oath  to  well  and  properly  discharge  the 
duties  of  his  oQice  for  the  interests  of  the  public,  which  oaths  shall  be 
reduced  to  writing,  subscribed  to  by  him,  and  filed  in  the  office  of  the 
county  clerk  of  Cook  county.  They  shall  each  give  a  bond  in  the  penal 
sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  with  one  or  more  sureties,  to  be  approved  of 
by  the  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  to  the  treasurer  of  Cook 
county,  conditioned  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  their  duties  under  this  act. 
Sec.  3.  As  soon  as  convenient  after  the  said  board  shall  be  constituted 
as  aforesaid,  the  members  thereof  shall  decide  by  lot,  at  a  meeting  to  be 
called  by  any  three  of  them,  as  to  the  respective  term  for  which  each 
member  shall  hold  his  office ;  the  number  of  lots  shall  equal  the  number 
of  commissioners,  and  the  person  drawing  the  longest  term  shall  serve  for 
five  years  from  the  first  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1869;  the  one  drawing  the 
next,  shall  serve  for  four  years  from  said  date ;  the  one  drawing  the  next, 
shall  serve  for  three  years  from  said  date  ;  and  so  on  until  the  term  of  each 
one  of  said  commissioners  shall  be  definitely  determined,  each  one  serving 
for  the  length  of  time  inscribed  on  the  lot  drawn  by  him — the  last  of  said 
commissioners  serving  for  the  term  of  one  year  only  from  said  first  day  of 
March,  A.  D.  1869.  As  soon  as  the  term  of  office  of  each  of  said  commis- 
sioners shall  be  determined  as  aforesaid,  said  board  shall  organize  by 
electing  one  of  their  number  as  president,  and  one  of  their  number  as 
auditor;  they  shall  also  appoint  a  treasurer,  prescribe  his  duties,  and  fix 
his  compensation,  who  shall  give  bond  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his 
duties  in  the  penal  sum  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  with  not  less  than 
three  sufficient  sureties,  to  be  approved  by  the  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of 
Cook  county.  They  shall  also  choose  a  secretary,  who  shall  not  necessarily 
be  a  commissioner,  and  who  shall  hold  his  office  until  his  successor  shall 
be  appointed  as  hereinafter  provided ;  and  all  officers  appointed  by  the 
board  shall  be  subject  to  removal  at  the  pleasure  of  the  board.  The  said 
board  shall  adopt  a  seal,  and  alter  the  same  at  pleasure;  they  shall  keep  a 
complete  record  of  all  their  proceedings,  which  shall  be  open  at  all  times  for 
the  inspection  of  the  public.  The  said  commissioners  shall  receive  no 
compensation  for  their  services,  except  the  pi-esident,  who  may,  in  the 
discretion  of  said  board,  have  and  receive  such  compensation  as  may  be 
fixed  as  hereinafter  provided,  not  to  exceed  three  thousand  dollars  per 
annum.  All  vacancies  occurring  in  said  board  shall  be  filled  by  the 
appointment  of  the  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  when  such 


Appendix.  ix 

vacancy  or  vacancies  shall  occur.  Said  board  of  commissioners  shall  be 
a  body  politic  and  corporate,  and  shall  have  and  enjoy  all  the  powers 
necessary  for  the  purposes  of  this  act. 

Sec.  3.  The  president,  auditor,  treasurer,  and  secretary,  shall  be  elected 
annually  by  said  board,  at  the  annual  meeting  thereof,  and  shall  receive 
such  salary  for  their  services  as  the  said  board  shall  from  time  to  time 
determine,  not  exceeding,  for  each  of  said  officers,  the  sum  of  three  thousand 
dollars  per  annum. 

Sec.  4.  The  said  commissioners,  by  this  act,  are  authorized  and 
empow^ered  to,  and  they  shall  within  ninety  days  after  their  organization 
as  aforesaid,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable,  select  the  following 
described  lands,  situated  in  the  towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde  Park  and 
Lake,  in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  to  wit :  Commencing  at  the  south-west 
corner  of  Fifty-first  street  and  Cottage  Grove  avenue,  running  thence  south 
along  the  west  side  of  Cottage  Grove  avenue  to  the  south  line  of  Fifty-ninth 
street;  thence  east  along  the  south  line  of  Fifty-ninth  street  to  the  east 
line  of  Hyde  Park  avenue ;  thence  north  on  Hyde  Park  avenue  to  Fifty- 
sixth  street ;  thence  east  along  the  south  line  of  Fifty-sixth  street  to  Lake 
Michigan ;  thence  southerly  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  to  a  point  due  east 
of  the  center  of  section  twenty-four  (24),  in  township  thirty-eight  (38) 
north,  range  fourteen  (14)  ;  thence  west  through  the  centre  of  said  section 
twenty-four  (24)  to  Hyde  Park  avenue ;  thence  north  on  the  east  line  of 
Hyde  Park  avenue  to  the  north  line  of  Sixtieth  street,  so  called ;  thence 
west  on  the  north  line  of  Sixtieth  street,  so-called,  to  Kankakee  avenue; 
thence  north  on  the  east  line  of  Kankakee  avenue  to  Fifty-first  street; 
thence  east  to  a  point  to  the  place  of  beginning;  also,  a  piece  of  land  com- 
mencing at  the  south-east  corner  of  Kankakee  avenue  and  Fifty-fifth  street, 
running  thence  west  a  strip  two  hundred  feet  wide,  adjoining  the  north  line 
of  Fifty-fifth  street,  along  said  Fifty-fifth  street  to  the  line  between  ranges 
thirteen  (13)  and  (14)  east;  thence  north,  east  of  and  adjoining  said  line,  a 
strip  two  hundred  feet  wide,  to  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal;  also,  a 
parcel  of  land  beginning  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Douglas  place  and 
Kankakee  avenue,  running  thence  south,  a  strip  of  land  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  feet  wide,  along  the  west  side  of  said  Kankakee  avenue,  to  a  point 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  south  of  the  south  line  of  Fifty-first  street;  also,  a 
strip  of  land  commencing  at  the  intersection  of  Cottage  Grove  avenue  and 
Fifty-first  street,  running  thence  east  one  hundred  feet  in  width  on  each 
side  of  the  center  line  of  Fifty-first  street,  to  a  point  one  hundred  feet  east 
of  the  center  line  of  Drexel  avenue;  also,  a  strip  of  land  extending  north 
from  the  intersection  of  Fifty-first  street  with  Drexel  avenue,  one  hundred 
feet  in  width,  on  each  side  of  the  center  line  of  said  avenue,  to  the  north 
line  of  Forty-third  street;  thence  northerly,  a  strip  of  land  two  hundred  feet 
in  width,  till  it  meets  or  intersects  with  Elm  street  in  Cleaverville ;  thence 
northerly  along  said  Elm  street,  two  hundred  feet  in  width,  west  from  the 
east  line  of  said  street,  to  its  intersection  with  Oakland  avenue;  which  said 
land  and  premises,  when  acquired  by  said  commissioners  as  provided  by  this 
act,  shall  be  held,  managed  and  controlled  by  them  and  their  successors,  as 

B 


X  Appendix. 

a  public  park,  for  the  recreation,  health  and  benefit  of  the  public,  and  free 
to  all  persons  forever,  subject  to  such  necessary  rules  and  regulations  as 
shall,  from  time  to  time,  be  adopted  bj  said  commissioners  and  their  suc- 
cessors for  the  well  ordering  and  government  of  the  same. 

Sec.  5.  In  case  the  said  commissioners  cannot  agree  with  the  owner  or 
owners,  lessees  or  occupants  of  any  of  the  said  real  estate  selected  by  them 
as  aforesaid,  they  may  proceed  to  procure  the  condemnation  of  the  same,  in 
the  manner  prescribed  in  the  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  entitled  "An  act  to  amend  the  law  condemning  right  of  way  for  the 
purpose  of  internal  improvement,"  approved  June  22,  1853,  and  the  acts 
amendatory  thereof,  the  provisions  of  which  said  act,  and  the  several  acts 
amendatory  thereof,  are  hereby  extended  to  the  park  and  park  commis- 
sioners to  be  created  by  virtue  of  this  act. 

Sec.  6.  When  the  title  to  the  land  selected  for  such  park  as  herein 
provided  shall  have  been  acquired  by  said  commissioners,  by  gift,  condem- 
nation, or  otherwise,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  such  commissioners  to  make, 
acknowledge,  and  file  for  record  in  the  office  of  the  recorder  of  deeds  for 
Cook  county,  a  map,  showing  the  said  land,  with  a  correct  description, 
including  section,  township  and  range. 

Sec.  7.  As  soon  as  the  amount  required  for  the  condemnation  of  the 
grounds  selected  for  said  park  shall  have  been  ascertained  by  said  commis- 
sioners, with  reasonable  certainty,  they  shall  apply  to  the  judge  of  the 
circuit  court  of  Cook  county  for  the  appointment  of  three  freeholders  of 
the  county  of  Cook  as  park  assessors.  The  commissioners  shall  give  notice, 
in  one  or  more  of  the  daily  newspapers  published  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  of 
the  time  when  such  application  will  be  made,  and  all  parties  interested  may 
appear,  and  be  heard  by  said  Judge  touching  such  appointment.  At  the 
time  fixed  for  such  application,  the  court,  after  hearing  such  persons  as  shall 
desire  to  be  heard  touching  such  appointment,  shall  nominate  and  appoint 
three  assessors  for  the  purposes  provided  in  this  act.  The  said  assessors 
shall  proceed  to  assess  the  amount  so  ascertained  upon  property  in  the 
towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde  Park  and  Lake,  in  Cook  county,  deemed 
benefited  by  leason  of  the  improvement  occasioned  by  the  location  of  said 
park,  as  near  as  may  be  in  proportion  to  the  benefits  resulting  thereto  : 
Provided^  that  the  aggregate  of  said  benefits  is  equal  to  or  greater  than  the 
amount  of  said  damages ;  and  in  case  the  aggregate  of  the  benefits  is  less 
than  the  damages,  then  the  balance  of  the  damages  over  the  benefits  shall 
be  paid  from  the  fund  provided  for  in  section  eight  of  this  act.  Upon 
entering  on  the  duties  of  their  office,  the  said  assessors  shall  make  oath 
before  the  clerk  of  the  said  circuit  court  faithfully  and  impartially  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  their  office.  They  shall  give  at  least  ten  days'  notice, 
in  one  of  the  said  dailj'  papers,  of  the  time  and  place  of  their  meeting  for 
the  purpose  of  making  said  assessment,  and  may  adjourn  such  meeting 
from  time  to  time,  until  the  same  shall  be  completed.  In  making  the  said 
assessment,  the  said  assessors  shall  estimate  the  value  of  the  several  lots, 
blocks,  or  parcels  of  land  deemed  benefited  by  them  as  aforesaid,  and  shall 
include  the  same,   together  with   the  amount  assessed   as  benefits,  in  the 


Appendix.  xi 

assessment  roll.  All  parties  interested  may  appear  before  said  assessors, 
and  may  be  heard  touching  any  matter  connected  with  the  assessment. 
When  the  same  shall  be  completed,  it  shall  be  signed  by  the  assessors,  and 
returned  to  the  said  circuit  court,  and  shall  be  filed  by  the  clerk  thereof. 
The  assessors  shall  thereupon  give  at  least  ten  days'  notice,  in  one  of  the 
said  daily  papers,  of  the  filing  of  said  assessment  roll,  and  that  they  will,  on 
a  day  therein  named,  apply  to  the  said  circuit  court  for  confirmation  of  the 
same,  which  said  notice  shall  be  published  at  least  ten  days  before  the  time 
fixed  for  such  application.  Said  circuit  court  shall  have  power  to  revise, 
correct,  amend  or  confirm  said  assessment,  in  whole  or  in  part,  and  may 
make  or  order  a  new  assessment,  in  whole  or  in  part,  and  the  same  revise 
and  confirm,  upon  like  notice.  All  parties  interested  may  appear  before 
said  circuit  court,  either  in  person  or  by  attorney,  when  such  application 
shall  be  made,  and  may  object  to  said  assessment,  either  in  whole  or  in  part, 
provided  all  objections  shall  be  in  writing,  and  shall  be  filed  at  least  three 
days  before  the  time  fixed  for  the  application,  and  shall  specify  the  lot, 
block,  or  parcels  of  land  on  behalf  of  which  objection  is  made.  After  the 
confirmation  of  said  assessment,  the  clerk  of  said  circuit  court  shall  file  a 
copy  thereof,  under  the  seal  of  his  said  court,  with  the  clerk  of  the  county 
court  of  Cook  county,  and  such  assessment  shall  be  a  lien  upon  the  several 
lots,  blocks,  or  parcels  of  land  assessed  for  benefits  as  aforesaid.  Ten  per 
cent,  of  the  amount  so  ascertained  shall  be  due  and  payable  annually,  and 
the  clerk  of  said  Cook  county  court  shall  include  in  the  general  tax 
warrants  of  each  j'ear,  until  the  whole  sum  shall  be  paid,  for  the  collection 
of  State  and  county  taxes  in  the  said  towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde  Park 
and  Lake,  ten  per  cent,  of  the  said  assessments,  in  an  appropriate  column, 
to  be  termed  "  South  Park  Assessment,"  with  the  amount  to  be  collected 
opposite  the  several  lots,  blocks,  or  parcels  of  land  assessed  as  aforesaid; 
and  like  proceedings,  in  all  respects,  shall  be  had  for  enforcing  the  collection 
of  the  same  as  is  now  provided  by  law  for  the  collection  of  state  and  county 
taxes.  The  money  collected  under  the  provision  of  this  section  shall  be 
paid  to  the  treasurer  of  Cook  county,  for  which  he  and  his  sureties  shall  be 
responsible,  as  fully  as  for  any  other  moneys  by  him  received  as  treasurer  of 
Cook  county,  and  be  held  by  him  in  the  same  manner,  and  be  subject  to  the 
same  control  and  direction,  as  provided  in  this  act  for  other  moneys 
belonging  to  said  corporation ;  and  the  treasurer  of  Cook  county  shall  be 
entitled  to  receive  one-half  of  one  per  cent.,  and  no  more,  of  said  moneys, 
as  a  full  compensation  for  receiving  and  disbursing  the  same. 

Sec.  8.  For  any  deficiency  arising  through  acquiring  title  to  said  park, 
and  for  the  payment  of  the  expenses  of  enclosing,  maintaining  and  improving 
the  park  herein  provided  for,  and  the  expenses,  disbursements  and  charges 
in  the  premises,  the  said  commissioners  shall  have  power  to  loan  or  borrow, 
from  time  to  time,  for  such  time  as  they  shall  deem  expedient,  a  sum  of 
money  not  exceeding  two  millions  of  dollars,  and  shall  have  authority  to 
issue  bonds,  secured  upon  the  said  park  and  improvements,  which  bonds 
shall  issue  under  the  seal  of  said  commissioners,  and  shall  be  signed  by  said 
commissioners,  and  countersigned  by  the  secretary  of  said  board,  and  bear 


xii  Appendix. 

interest  not  exceeding  seven  per  cent,  per  annum ;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  said  commissioners  to  keep  an  accurate  register  of  all  bonds  issued  by 
them,  showing  the  number,  date  and  amount  of  each  bond,  and  to  whom 
the  same  was  issued,  and  said  register  shall  at  all  times  be  open  to  the  inves- 
tigation of  the  public ;  and  for  the  payment  of  the  principal  and  interest  of 
said  bonds  the  said  park  and  improvements  shall  be  irrevocably  pledged, 
and  the  towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde  Park  and  Lake  shall  be  irrevocably 
bound;  and  said  bonds  may  be  sold  by  said  commissioners  upon  such  terms 
and  for  such  prices  as,  in  the  judgment  of  said  commissioners,  can  be 
obtained  for  the  same  in  cash. 

Sec.  9.  The  said  board  of  park  commissioners  shall,  annually,  on  or 
before  the  first  day  of  December  in  each  year,  transmit  to  the  clerk  of  the 
county  court  of  Cook  county  an  estimate,  in  writing,  of  the  amount  of 
money,  not  exceeding  in  any  one  year  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  neces- 
sary for  the  payment  of  the  interest  on  the  bonds  issued  by  said  board,  and 
that,  in  addition  thereto,  will  be  required  for  the  improvement,  maintenance, 
and  government  of  said  park  during  the  current  year ;  and  the  said  clerk  shall 
proceed  to  determine  what  per  cent,  said  sum  is  on  the  taxable  property  of 
said  towns,  according  to  the  several  assessors'  returns  for  the  respective 
year,  and  shall,  in  the  next  general  tax  warrants  for  the  collection  of  state 
and  county  taxes  in  said  several  towns,  set  down  the  amount  chargeable  to 
the  several  persons,  corporations,  lots  or  parcels  of  ground,  in  a  separate  or 
appropriate  column,  and  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  now  allowed  by 
law;  and  the  collectors,  respectively,  shall  proceed  to  collect  the  same  in  the 
manner  now  provided  by  law  for  the  collection  of  state  and  county  taxes ; 
and  all  the  provisions  of  law,  in  respect  to  the  collection  of  state  and 
county  taxes,  and  proceedings  to  enforce  the  same,  so  far  as  applicable,  shall 
apply  to  said  assessments  and  taxes.  The  said  sum  of  money  shall  be 
placed  by  the  treasurer  of  the  said  county  of  Cook  to  the  credit  of  the  said 
board  of  park  commissioners,  and  shall  be  drawn  by  said  board  from  the 
county  treasury  by  warrant,  signed  by  the  president  and  secretary  of  the 
board,  and  countersigned  by  the  auditor,  to  be  appointed  as  aforesaid,  and 
in  no  other  way ;  the  appointment  of  such  auditor  or  comptroller  having 
been  first  duly  certified  by  such  president  and  secretary,  and  filed  in  the 
office  of  said  treasurer  of  Cook  county. 

Sec.  10.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  said  commissioners  to  vacate  and  close  up 
any  and  all  public  roads  and  highways,  excepting  railroads,  which  may 
pass  through,  divide,  or  separate  any  lands  selected  or  appropriated  by  them 
for  the  purposes  of  a  park;  and  no  such  road  shall  be  laid  out  through  said 
park  except  such  as  the  said  commissioners  shall  lay  out  and  construct. 

Sec.  II.  No  one  of  the  said  commissioners  shall  be  interested,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  in  any  contract  entered  into  by  them  with  any  other 
person ;  nor  shall  they  be  interested,  directly  or  indirectly,  in  the  purchase 
of  any  material  to  be  used  or  applied  in  and  about  the  uses  and  purposes 
contemplated  in  this  act.  And  it  shall  be  a  misdemeanor  for  any  commis- 
sioner to  be  directly  or  indirectly  interested,  or  in  any  way  pecuniarily 
interested  in  any  contract  or  work  of  any  kind  whatever,  connected  with 
said  park. 


Appendix.  xiii 

Sec.  12.  The  said  commissioners,  or  either  of  them,  may  be  removed 
from  office  by  the  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  upon  the 
petition  presented  to  him  in  term  time  or  in  vacation,  by  one  hundred  free- 
holders of  said  towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde  Park,  and  Lake,  if  it  shall 
appear,  after  hearing  and  proof  before  said  judge,  that  the  said  commis- 
sioners, or  either  of  them,  have  been  guilty  of  misdemeanor  or  malfeasance 
in  office  under  this  act;  and  if  the  said  judge  shall  remove  any  two  or  more 
of  said  commissioners  from  office  for  any  cause,  before  the  expiration  of 
their  term  of  office,  they  are  hereby  empowered  to  appoint  others  in  their 
stead,  who  shall  fill  such  offices  for  and  during  the  unexpired  term  of  such 
commissioners  so  removed. 

Sec.  13.  The  said  board  shall  have  the  full  and  exclusive  power  to  govern, 
manage,  and  direct  said  park;  to  lay  out  and  regulate  the  same;  to  pass 
ordinances  for  the  regulation  and  government  thereof;  to  appoint  such 
engineers,  surveyors,  clerks,  and  other  officers,  including  a  police  force,  as 
may  be  necessary;  to  define  and  prescribe  their  respective  duties  and 
authority ;  fix  the  amount  of  their  compensation ;  and  generally,  in  regard 
to  said  park,  they  shall  possess  all  the  power  and  authority  now  by  law 
conferred  upon  or  possessed  by  the  common  council  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
in  respect  to  the  public  squares  and  places  in  said  city;  and  it  shall  be 
lawful  for  them  to  commence  the  improvement  of  said  park  as  soon  as  they 
have  obtained  one  hundred  acres  of  the  premises  herein  described. 

Sec.  14.  The  office  of  any  commissioner  under  this  act,  who  shall  not 
attend  meetings  of  the  board  for  three  successive  months,  after  having  been 
duly  notified  of  said  meetings,  without  leave  of  absence  from  said  board, 
may,  by  said  board,  be  declared  vacant. 

Sec.  15.  The  real  estate  and  personal  property  of  saifl  corporation  shall 
be  exempted  from  taxation  and  assessment. 

Sec.  16.  All  moneys  belonging  or  to  belong  to  any  park  fund  now  in 
existence  or  hereafter  to  be  created,  and  all  bonds,  and  the  proceeds  from 
sales  thereof,  now  authorized  or  hereafter  to  be  authorized  to  be  issued  by 
the  city  of  Chicago  for  park  purposes,  in  or  to  which  the  South  Division  of 
the  city  of  Chicago  may  now  or  shall  hereafter  be  entitled  to  a  distributive 
share,  shall  be  devoted  and  applied  to  the  purchase  or  maintenance  and 
improvement  of  the  park  contemplated  and  created  by  this  act,  under  the 
direction  and  control  of  the  commissioners  provided  for  in  this  act. 

Sec.  17.  The  bonds  to  be  issued  under  this  act  may  be  received  in 
payment  of  any  assessment,  whether  such  bond  or  assessment  shall  have 
become  due  or  not,  upon  such  terms  as  shall  be  fair,  just  and  equitable; 
and  upon  the  payment  of  any  assessment,  the  land  upon  which  the  same  is 
assessed  shall  be  free  from  any  lien  or  liability  to  pay  the  same:  and  such 
payment  shall  be  reported  to  the  county  clerk  of  Cook  county,  and  entered 
upon  the  record  of  the  assessment. 

Sec.  18.  There  shall  be  an  election  held  in  the  towns  of  South  Chicago, 
Hyde  Park  and  Lake,  on  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  March  next  after  the  passage 
of  this  act,  at  which  election  the  legal  voters  voting  at  such  election  shall 
vote  for  or  against  this  act.     The  tickets   shall  be  printed  or  written,  "For 


xiv  Appendix. 

Park,"  or  "Against  Park;"  and  if  a  majority  of  the  votes  cast  on  the 
subject  of  park  shall  be  "For  Park,"  then  this  act  shall  take  effect  and  be 
in  force,  but  not  otherwise.  The  clerk  of  the  county  court  of  Cook  county 
shall  designate  the  place  of  holding  such  election,  and  give  notice  thereof  in 
one  or  more  of  the  daily  papers  published  in  the  county  of  Cook,  at  least 
six  days  preceding  such  election,  and  shall  supply  the  judges  thereof  with 
the  necessarj"  books,  papers  and  boxes,  as  in  other  cases  of  elections ;  and 
there  shall  be  one  polling  or  voting  place  in  each  voting  precinct  in  said 
towns,  as  the  same  were  fixed  at  the  last  general  election  in  the  county  of 
Cook.  The  persons  who  acted  as  judges  or  inspectors  of  election  in  the 
several  precincts  of  said  towns,  at  the  last  general  election  in  Cook  county, 
shall  be  the  judges  or  inspectors  of  this  election.  In  case  the  judges  or 
inspectors  of  election  shall  not  attend  at  the  time  for  opening  the 
polls,  such  judges  or  inspectors  shall  be  chosen  by  the  legal  voters 
present.  The  clerk  shall  be  appointed  as  provided  in  elections  for  county 
officers.  The  polls  shall  be  opened  and  closed  and  the  election  conducted 
as  the  elections  for  county  officers.  All  legal  voters  of  said  towns  shall  be 
entitled  to  vote  at  such  election,  without  any  new  registration;  and  the 
judges  or  inspectors  of  such  election  shall  use  the  registry  list  made  for 
the  general  election  in  November,  1868 :  Provided,  that  whenever  any 
person  whose  name  is  not  on  the  registry  list  shall  offer  his  vote  at  such 
election,  the  judges  or  inspectors  shall  require  the  same  evidence  of  his 
qualification  as  now  provided  by  law.  The  said  judges  of  election  shall, 
immediately  after  the  closing  of  the  polls,  count  the  ballots,  fill  out  and 
sign  the  returns  and  tally  sheets,  as  now  provided  by  law  in  all  other 
elections,  and  return  the  poll  books  and  ballots  to  the  clerk  of  the  county 
court,  as  in  other  cases  of  election.  The  votes  shall  be  canvassed  in  the 
manner  provided  by  law  for  the  election  of  stace  and  county  officers.  The 
clerk  of  the  county  court  of  Cook  county  shall,  immediately  after  such 
canvass,  cause  a  certificate  of  the  result  of  such  election  to  be  filed  in  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  State,  which  shall  be  conclusive  evidence  of  the  result 
of  said  election. 

Sec.   19.     This  act  shall  be  a  public  act,  and  shall  take  eftect  and  be  in 
force  from  and  after  its  passage. 


WEST   CHICAGO. 

An  Act  to  Amend  the  Charter  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  to  create 
A   Board   of   Park   Commissioners,  and  authorize   a  Tax   in  the 
Town  of  West  Chicago  ,and  for  other  purposes  : 
Section  i.     Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  repre- 
sented  in  the  General  Assembly,   That  the  territorial  limits  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  shall  be  and  are  hereby  extended  as  follows  :     That  part  of  Section 
30,  40,  14  east  of  3d  p.   M.,  which   lies  west  of   the  North  Branch    of   the 
Chicago  River;  Section  25,  40,  13  east  of  3d  p.  m.,  except  that  part  of  said 
section  lying  east  of  the  center  of  the  North   Branch  of  the  Chicago  river; 


Appendix.  xv 

sections  26,  35  and  36,  in  township  40,  13  east  of  3d  p.  m.  ;  sections  i,  2,  11, 
12,  13,  14,  23,  24,  25  and  26,  in  township  39,  13  east  of  3d  p.  M.,  and  that  part 
of  sections  35  and  36,  in  township  39,  13  east  of  3d  p.  m.,  lying  north-west 
of  the  center  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  shall  be,  and  are  hereby, 
added  to  said  city,  and  shall  constitute  a  part  of  the  West  Division  of  said 
city,  and  of  the  town  of  West  Chicago,  and  the  said  added  or  new  territory 
shall  cease  to  be  a  part  of  the  several  towns  to  which  it  now  belongs  or 
appertains,  and  the  outside  boundary  of  the  West  Division  of  the  city  of 
Chicago,  as  hereby  established,  shall  be  the  outside  boundary  of  the  several 
wards  of  the  city  which  now  extend  to  the  present  city  limits. 

Sec.  3.  Seven  persons,  resident  freeholders  and  qualified  voters  of  said 
town,  who  shall  be  designated  by  the  governor  of  the  state  of  Illinois, 
together  with  their  successors,  shall  be,  and  they  are  hereby,  constituted  a 
Board  of  Public  Park  Commissioners  for  the  town  of  West  Chicago,  to  be 
known  under  the  name  of  the  '-West  Chicago  Park  Commissioners,"  and  in 
case  of  the  failure  of  any  of  said  persons  to  accept  such  appointment,  and  to 
qualify  thereunder  as  hereinafter  provided,  within  sixty  days  after  the 
passage  of  this  act,  the  place  of  such  person  in  said  commission  shall  be 
thereby  vacated,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  commissioners  so  accepting 
to  certify  the  fact  of  such  failure  and  vacancy  to  the  governor,  who  shall 
appoint  some  suitable  person  or  persons,  possessing  the  qualifications  afore- 
said, to  fill  the  place  or  places  thus  made  vacant,  and  vacancies  shall 
continue  to  be  filled  in  like  manner,  until  the  board  shall  have  been  filled 
and  constituted  by  the  acceptance  and  qualification  of  seven  persons.  Each 
of  said  commissioners,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  shall 
take  an  oath  to  well  and  properly  discharge  the  duties  of  his  office  for  the 
interest  of  the  public,  which  oath  shall  be  reduced  to  writing,  subscribed  to 
by  him,  and  filed  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  of  Cook  county.  They 
shall  each  give  a  bond  in  the  penal  sum  of  $20,000,  with  one  or  more  sureties, 
to  be  approved  by  the  judge  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  to  the  treas- 
urer of  Cook  county,  conditioned  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  their  duties 
under  the  act. 

Sec.  3.  As  soon  as  convenient  after  the  said  board  shall  be  constituted 
as  aforesaid,  the  members  thereof  shall  decide  by  lot,  at  a  meeting  to  be 
called  by  any  three  of  them,  as  to  the  respective  term  for  which  each  member 
shall  hold  his  office;  the  number  of  lots  shall  equal  the  number  of  commis- 
sioners, and  the  person  drawing  the  longest  term  shall  serve  seven  years 
from  the  first  day  of  March,  1869;  the  one  drawing  the  next  shall  serve  for 
six  years  from  said  date ;  the  one  drawing  the  next  shall  serve  for  five  years 
from  said  date;  and  so  on,  until  the  term  of  each  one  of  said  commis- 
sioners shall  be  definitely  determined,  each  one  serving  for  the  length  of 
time  inscribed  on  the  lot  drawn  by  him;  the  last  of  said  commissioners 
serving  for  the  term  of  one  year  only  from  said  first  day  of  March,  A.  D. 
1869.  As  soon  as  the  term  of  office  of  each  of  said  commissioners  shall  be 
determined  as  aforesaid,  said  board  shall  organize,  by  electing  one  of  their 
number  as  president,  and  one  of  their  number  as  auditor.  They  shall  also 
appoint  a  treasurer,  prescribe  his  duties,  and  fix  his  compensation,  who  shall 


xvi  Appendix. 

give  bond  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties  in  the  penal  sum  of  $50,000, 
with  not  less  than  three  sufficient  sureties,  to  be  approved  bj  the  judge  of 
the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county.  They  shall  also  choose  a  secretary,  who 
shall  not  necessarily  be  a  commissioner,  and  who  shall  hold  his  office  until 
his  successor  shall  be  appointed,  as  hereinafter  provided ;  and  all  officers 
appointed  by  the  board  shall  be  subject  to  removal,  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
board.  The  said  board  shall  adopt  a  seal,  and  alter  the  same  at  pleasure; 
they  shall  keep  a  complete  record  of  all  their  proceedings,  which  shall  be 
open  at  all  times  for  the  inspection  of  the  public.  The  said  commissioners 
shall  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services,  except  the  president,  who 
may,  in  the  discretion  of  said  board,  have  and  receive  such  compensation  as 
may  be  fixed,  as  hereinafter  provided,  not  to  exceed  four  thousand  dollars 
per  annum.  All  vacancies  occurring  in  said  board  shall  be  filled  as  soon  as 
may  be  thereafter,  by  the  appointment  of  the  governor  of  the  state  of  Illinois. 
The  said^board  of  commissioners  shall  be  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  with 
perpetual  succession,  and  power  to  sue  and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded, 
to  have  and  use  a  common  seal,  and  they  shall  have  and  enjoy  all  the 
powers  necessary  for  the  purposes  of  this  act. 

Sec.  4.  The  said  board  of  commissioners  shall  have  full  and  exclusive 
power  to  govern,  manage  and  direct  all  parks,  boulevards  and  ways  author- 
ized by  this  act,  and  by  them  purchased,  made,  laid  out  or  established ;  to 
lay  out,  regulate,  make  and  improve  the  same,  to  pass  ordinances  and  issue 
and  enforce  orders  for  the  regulation  and  government  of  the  same ;  to  levy 
special  assessments  on  all  property  by  them  deemed  benefited  by  the 
purchase,  opening  and  improvement  of  such  parks,  boulevards  and  ways,  as 
limited  by  this  act;  to  appoint  such  engineers,  surveyors,  clerks  and 
other  officers,  including  a  police  force,  as  may  be  necessary;  to  define 
and  prescribe  their  respective  duties  and  authority,  and  fix  the  amount 
of  their  compensation ;  and  generally  in  regard  to  said  parks,  boulevards 
and  ways,  they  shall  possess  all  the  power  and  authority  now  bj'  law 
conferred  upon  or  possessed  by  the  common  council  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  in  respect  to  the  public  squares,  places  and  streets  in  said  city;  and 
it  shall  be  lawful  for  them  to  commence  the  improvement  of  the  same  as 
soon  as  the  funds  requisite  therefor,  or  any  portion  thereof,  shall  have  been 
obtained.  The  expenditure  for  engineers,  surveyors,  clerks  and  officers, 
except  the  president,  including  a  police  force,  shall  not  exceed  five 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  without  further  authority  from  the  General 
Assembly;  but  said  board  may  accept  of  the  services  of  such  of  the  police 
force  of  the  city  of  Chicago  as  may  be  placed  at  their  disposal  by  the 
common  council  or  police  authorities  of  said  city. 

Sec.  5.  The  said  board  shall  have  power,  and  it  shall  be  made  their  duty, 
and  they  are  hereby  authorized,  to  select  and  take  possession  of,  and  to 
acquire  by  condemnation,  contract,  donation  or  otherwise,  title  forever,  in 
trust  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  West  Chicago  and  of  the  West 
Division  of  Chicago,  and  for  such  parties  or  persons  as  may  succeed  to  the 
rights  of  said  inhabitants,  and  for  the  public  as  public  promenades  and 
pleasure  grounds  and  ways,  but  not  without  the  consent  of  a  majority,  by 


Appendix.  xvii 

frontage,  of  the  owners  of  the  property  fronting  the  same  for  any  other  use 
or  purpose,  and  without  the  power  to  sell,  alienate,  mortgage,  or  encumber 
the  same,  to  the  lands,  and  appurtenances  required  for  a  road,  or  pleasure 
way,  or  boulevard,  not  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty,  nor  more  than  four 
hundred  feet  in  width,  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  building-line,  as  here- 
inafter specified,  fifty  feet  distant  from  and  outside  of  said  boulevard 
or  pleasure  way,  beginning  at  a  point  in  said  added  territory  north  of 
Fullerton  Avenue,  and  at  or  near  the  North  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River, 
and  extending  west  within  said  added  territory  to  a  point  one  mile  or  more 
west  of  Western  Avenue,  and  thence  southerly  to  a  point  at  or  near  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  with  such  curves  and  deviations  as  they  shall 
deem  expedient;  also  to  the  lands  required  and  building-lines  aforesaid  for 
three  parks  upon  the  line  of  said  boulevard,  and  upon  the  part  of  the  same 
between  the  two  last  mentioned  points,  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  nor 
more  than  two  hundred  acres  each,  and  which  shall  cost  respectively  not 
exceeding  $250,000;  the  first  to  be  located  north  of  Kinzie  street;  the 
second  to  be  located  between  Kinzie  street  and  Harrison  street,  and  the 
third  to  be  located  between  Harrison  street  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Qj-iincy  Railroad  track;  the  total  cost  of  said  parks  and  boulevards,  with  the 
easements  and  building-line  aforesaid,  exclusive  of  improvements,  shall  not 
exceed  $900,000,  and  shall  be  assessed  on  the  property  benefited  as  herein- 
after provided.  If  the  said  board  should  locate  any  part  of  said  boulevard 
or  parks  outside  of  the  said  extended  territory  and  limits,  each  section  of 
land  west  of  the  same,  of  which  a  part  shall  be  taken  for  such  boulevard  or 
parks,  shall  be  and  remain,  together  with  the  lands  and  territory  between 
the  same,  and  the  said  limits,  a  part  of  the  said  town  and  city,  and  of  the 
several  wards  thereof  as  aforesaid,  and  shall  cease  to  be  a  part  of  the  several 
towns  to  which  it  now  belongs  or  appertains.  But  in  no  case  shall  the 
western  line  of  either  of  said  parks  be  over  two  (2)  miles  from  Western 
avenue,  unless  by  voluntary  contributions  land  is  added  to  such  parks 
outside  of  said  limits.  Said  lands,  boulevards  and  parks,  and  the 
personal  property  of  said  board  shall  be  exempt  from  taxation.  The  said 
board  may  contract  with  the  owners  of  property  taken  or  purchased,  for 
annual  payments,  not  to  extend  beyond  five  years,  and  in  such  case  shall 
only  include  in  the  assessment  for  any  year  that  amount  of  such  annual 
payments  then  due,  if  any,  and  the  amount  of  one  annual  payment,  for 
that  year,  or  next  to  become  due.  They  are  also  authorized  to  divide 
the  amount  of  their  assessments,  and  where  it  can  legally  be  done,  to 
make  one  or  more  assessments,  payable  in  annual  installments,  which  shall 
be  a  lien  on  property  only  for  the  amount  payable  each  year.  The  part  of 
said  boulevards  between  the  said  North  Park  and  the  North  Branch  of  the 
Chicago  River,  and  the  part  of  the  same  south  of  the  said  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad  track,  shall  not  be  made  unless  the  land  therefor 
shall  be  acquired  free  of  cost  to  said  board,  and  shall  not  be  ornamented  or 
improved  until  after  the  improvement  of  the  parks  shall  have  been  com- 
pleted, unless  the  same  be  done  by  voluntary  contribution. 

Sec.  6.     The  establishment  of  a  building-line  outside  of  said  boulevard 
G 


xviii  Appendix. 

and  parks  as  hereinbefore  required  in  connection  with  the  condemnation  of 
the  land  for  the  same  shall  be  understood  to  be  the  condemnation  and 
perpetual  annihilation  of  all  right  of  the  owners  of  property  which  shall 
front  on  said  boulevard,  or  across  which  said  building-line  shall  run,  to 
erect  any  building  whatever  or  any  part  thereof,  between  said  building-line 
and  said  boulevard  or  parks ;  or  it  may  be  accomplished  by  the  absolute 
condemnation  of  the  land,  with  perpetual  and  irrevocable  free  license  to  use 
and  occupy  fifty  feet  in  width  of  the  same  for  all  purposes  not  otherwise 
forbidden,  except  building,  as  the  said  board  shall  be  advised  may  be 
preferable  and  most  effective. 

Sec.  7.  No  subdivision  into  lots  of  any  lands  in  said  town  lying  within 
four  hundred  feet  of  said  boulevard,  or  either  of  said  parks,  shall  be  valid 
without  the  approval  of  the  said  Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  and  they 
also  shall  have  power  to  forbid  by  general  order,  and  to  abate  any  horse- 
racing,  gambling,  or  offensive  or  obnoxious  or  dangerous  business  or  amuse- 
ments, within  four  hundred  feet  of  said  boulevard  and  parks,  or  either  of 
them,  and  the  right  to  use  the  said  adjacent  lands  for  any  such  purposes 
shall  be  deemed  to  be  included  in  the  assessment  and  condemnation  above 
provided  for.  But  no  lawful  business  now  established  and  carried  on  upon 
said  adjacent  lands  shall  be  prohibited  or  abated  without  a  fair  valuation  and 
due  and  full  compensation. 

Sec.  8.  The  said  board  shall  have  power  to  construct  all  necessary 
bridges  and  viaducts,  over  rivers,  water  courses  and  railroads  within  or  on 
the  line  of  said  town,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  construct  the  same  as  soon 
as  the  means  shall  have  been  provided  therefor. 

Sec.  9.  The  said  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  are  hereby  required  to 
make  not  less  than  three  topographical  surveys  and  examinations  of  different 
routes  for  said  boulevards  and  outlines  of  parks,  with  complete  elevations, 
before  locating  the  same,  and  to  invite  owners  of  property  to  confer  with 
them  in  regard  to  donations  of  land.  They  are  also  authorized  to  receive 
donations  or  appropriations  of  money  for  the  purchase  or  improvement  of 
the  same,  and  of  lands  for,  or  as  a  part  of  or  to  be  added  to  said  boulevard 
or  either  of  said  park,  upon  conditions  to  be  agreed  upon. 

Sec.  id.  None  of  the  main  streets  and  avenues  leading  to  the  said 
boulevard  and  parks,  and  which  have  heretofore  been  opened  and  used  as 
country  roads  or  highways,  shall  ever  be  closed  up  or  reduced  in  width,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  except  streets  near  the  river  and  its  branches,  which  may  be 
changed  for  business  purposes  or  greater  convenience  of  access.  The  Board 
of  Public  Works  are  hereby  authorized  and  required,  upon  the  order  of  the 
Common  Council,  to  make  and  assess,  in  the  manner  herein  and  in  the  city 
charter  provided,  subject  to  confirmation  by  the  Common  Council,  the 
benefits  and  damages  resulting  from  the  extension  of  the  road  known  as 
"Whiskey  Point  Road,"  as  nearly  as  may  be  in  its  present  direction,  from 
its  present  western  terminus  at  Western  avenue,  to  Fulton  street,  of  the 
width  of  120  feet,  and  from  Fulton  street  to  Lake  street  of  the  width  of  80 
feet,  and  tlie  widening  said  road  from  its  present  terminus  at  Western  avenue 
to  the  new  or  extended  city  limits,  to  the  width  of  120  feet,  with  a  building 


Appendix.  xix 

\ 

line  as  hereinbefore  defined  and  specified,  distant  ten  feet  from,  and  outside 
of  each  line  of  said  road  from  Fulton  street  to  Western  avenue,  and  50  feet 
from  and  outside  of  said  road  from  Western  avenue  to  the  new  or  extended 
city  limits,  and  also  the  grading  and  macadamizing  said  road  or  the  middle 
part  thereof,  to  the  width  of  at  least  30  feet,  and  a  viaduct  or  viaducts  for 
carriages,  teams  and  foot  passengers,  over  all  railroad  tracks  now  laid  or 
hereafter  to  be  laid  across  said  road.  The  several  township  load  officers  and 
the  Cook  County  Drainage  Commissioners,  and  all  other  officers  now  or 
hereafter  authorized  to  open  roads  on  said  line  outside  of  the  city  limits,  in 
making  any  assessment  for  widening  said  road,  are  authorized  and  required 
to  include  the  establishment  of  said  building  line  fifty  feet  distant  from  and 
outside  of  said  road,  as  aforesaid  The  name  of  the  said  "  Whiskey  Point 
Road,  "  both  within  and  beyond  said  city  limits,  shall  be  and  is  hereby 
changed,  and  shall  be  known  forever  hereafter  as  "  Grand  Avenue."  The 
Southwestern  avenue,  from  Madison  street  to  the  city  limits,  shall  also  be 
macadamized,  with  the  consent  and  approval  of  the  Common  Council. 

Sec.  ir.  In  case  the  said  commissioners  cannot  agree  with  the  owner 
or  owners,  lessees  or  occupants  of  any  of  the  said  real  estate,  selected  by 
them  as  aforesaid,  they  may  proceed  to  procure  the  condemnation  of  the 
same  in  the  manner  prescribed  in  the  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  entitled,  "  An  act  to  amend  the  law  condemning  right  of 
way  for  the  purpose  of  internal  improvements,  approved  January  22,  1S52," 
and  the  acts  then  in  force  amendatory  thereof;  the  provisions  of  which  said 
act,  and  the  several  acts  amendatory  thereof,  are  hereby  extended  to  the 
boulevards,  parks  and  Park  Commissioners,  to  be  created  by  virtue  of  this 
act. 

Sec.  12.  When  the  title  of  the  land  selected  for  boulevards,  ways,  ease- 
ments, parks  and  building  lines  as  herein  provided,  shall  have  been  acquired 
by  the  Commissioners,  by  gift,  condemnation,  or  otherwise,  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  such  Commissioners  to  make,  acknowledge  and  file  for  record,  in 
the  office  of  the  Recorder  of  Deeds  for  Cook  county,  a  map  showing  the  said 
land,  with  a  correct  description,  including  section,  township  and  range. 

Sec.  13.  As  soon  as  the  amount  required  for  the  condemnation  of  the 
grounds  selected  for  said  purposes  shall  have  been  ascertained  by  said 
commissioners,  with  reasonable  certainty,  they  shall  apply  to  the  judge  of 
the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county,  for  the  appointment  of  three  disinter- 
ested freeholders,  as  assessors,  one  of  whom  shall  reside  north  of  Division 
street,  one  between  Division  and  Harrison  streets,  and  one  south  of  Harrison 
street,  all  in  said  West  Chicago.  The  commissioners  shall  give  notice  in 
three  or  more  of  the  daily  newspapers  published  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and 
by  posting  written  or  printed  notices  in  three  public  places  in  said  West 
Chicago,  of  the  time  when  such  application  will  be  made,  and  all  parties 
interested  may  appear  and  be  heard  by  the  said  judge,  touching  such 
appointment,  at  the  time  fixed  for  such  application.  The  court,  after 
hearing  such  persons  as  shall  desire  to  be  heard  touching  such  appointment, 
shall  nominate  and  appoint  three  assessors,  qualified  as  aforesaid,  for  the 
purpose  provided  in  this  act.     The  said  assessors  shall  proceed  to  assess  the 


XX  Appendix. 

amount  so  ascertained  upon  the  property  by  them  deemed  benefited  by 
reason  of  the  improvement  occasioned  by  the  location  of  said  boulevard 
and  parks,  with  their  appurtenances,  as  near  as  may  be  in  proportion  to  the 
benefits  resulting  thereto,  and  also  the  damages,  if  any,  occasioned  by  the 
taking,  or  condemnation  of  any  land,  right  or  easement  as  aforesaid;  and 
in  general  the  form  and  particulars  of  the  assessment  shall  be  as  near  as  may 
be  the  same  required  by  the  city  charter  of  Chicago  in  the  condemnation  of 
land  for,  and  the  laying  out  of  streets.  From  the  funds  derived  from  said 
assessment,  and  from  the  other  funds  of  said  board  applicable  to  such 
purposes,  the  said  board  shall  pay  to  the  parties  entitled  thereto  the  amounts 
respectively  due  them,  and  thereupon  the  title  of  the  said  lands,  ways, 
boundary  lines,  easements  and  parks,  or  that  portion  thereof  paid  for  as 
aforesaid,  shall  become  fixed  and  vested  in  said  board  and  their  successors 
in  the  manner,  to  the  extent,  for  the  purposes,  and  subject  to  the  limitations, 
hereinbefore  provided.  Upon  entering  upon  the  duties  of  their  office,  the 
said  assessors  shall  make  oath  before  the  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  faithfully 
and  impartially  to  discharge  the  duties  of  their  office;  they  shall  give  at  least 
ten  days'  notice,  in  three  of  the  said  daily  papers,  and  by  posting  notices  as 
aforesaid,  of  the  time  and  place  of  their  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  making 
said  assessment,  and  may  adjourn  said  meeting  from  time  to  time,  until  the 
same  shall  be  completed.  In  making  said  assessment,  the  said  assessors 
•  shall  estimate  the  value  of  the  several  lots,  blocks  or  parcels  of  land  deemed 
benefited  by  them  as  aforesaid,  and  shall  include  the  same,  together  with  the 
amount  assessed  as  benefits,  in  the  assessment  roll.  All  parties  interested 
may  appear  before  said  assessors,  and  be  heard  touching  any  matter  con- 
nected with  the  assessment.  When  the  same  shall  be  completed,  it  shall  be 
signed  by  the  assessor,  and  returned  to  the  said  circuit  court,  and  shall  be 
filed  by  the  clerk  thereof  The  assessors  shall  thereupon  give  at  least  ten 
days'  notice,  in  three  of  the  said  daily  newspapers,  and  by  posting  notices 
as  aforesaid,  of  the  filing  of  said  assessment  roll,  and  that  they  will,  on  a 
day  therein  named,  apply  to  the  circuit  court  for  confirmation  of  the  same, 
which  said  notice  shall  be  published  at  least  ten  days  before  the  time  fixed 
for  such  application.  Said  circuit  court  shall  have  power  to  revise,  correct, 
amend  or  confirm  said  assessment,  in  whole  or  in  part,  and  may  make  or 
order  a  new  assessment,  in  whole  or  in  part,  and  the  same  revise  and  confirm 
upon  like  notice.  All  parties  may  appear  before  said  circuit  court,  either  in 
person  or  by  attorney,  when  such  application  shall  be  made,  and  may  object 
to  said  assessment,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  provided  all  objections  shall 
be  in  writing,  and  shall  be  filed  at  least  three  days  before  the  time  fixed  for 
the  application,  and  shall  specify  the  lot,  block  or  parcels  of  land  on  behalf 
of  which  objection  is  made.  After  the  confirmation  of  said  assessment,  the 
clerk  of  said  court  shall  file  a  copy  thereof,  under  the  seal  of  said  court,  with 
the  clerk  of  the  county  court  of  Cook  county,  and  said  assessment  shall  be 
a  lien  upon  the  several  lots,  blocks  or  parcels  of  land  assessed  for  benefits  as 
aforesaid.  The  clerk  of  the  said  Cook  county  court  shall  include  in  the 
general  warrants  for  each  year,  until  the  assessments  for  the  purposes 
authorized  by  this   act    shall   have   been   completed,  and   until   the   whole 


Appendix.  .  xxi 

sum  shall  be  paid,  for  the  collection  of  state  and  county  taxes  in  the  said 
town  of  West  Chicago,  the  said  assessment,  in  an  appropriate  column,  to  be 
termed  "  West  Park  and  Boulevard  Assessment,"  with  the  amount  to  be 
collected  opposite  the  several  lots,  blocks  or  parcels  of  land  assessed  as 
aforesaid,  and  like  proceedings,  in  all  respects,  shall  be  had  for  enforcing  the 
same  as  are  now  provided  by  law  for  the  collection  of  state  and  county  taxes. 
The  moneys  collected  under  the  provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  paid  to 
the  treasurer  of  Cook  county,  for  which  he  and  his  sureties  shall  be  respon- 
sible, as  fully  as  for  any  other  moneys  by  him  received  as  treasurer  of  Cook 
county,  and  be  held  by  him  in  the  same  manner,  and  be  subject  to  the  same 
control  and  direction,  as  provided  in  this  act  for  other  moneys  belonging  to 
said  corporation.  And  the  treasurer  of  Cook  county  shall  be  entitled  to 
receive  one-half  of  one  per  cent.,  and  no  more,  of  said  moneys,  as  a  full 
compensation  for  receiving  and  disbursing  the  same. 

Sec.  14.  If  deemed  practicable  by  the  assessors,  separate  assessments 
and  appraisements  shall  be  made,  one  for  that  part  of  the  said  boulevard, 
ways,  building  line  and  easements,  and  for  said  park,  building  line  and 
easements,  to  be  made  and  taken  North  of  Division  street;  one  for  the  same 
between  Division  street  and  Harrison  street,  and  one  for  the  same  south  of 
Harrison  street.  The  benefits  assessed  shall  be  the  real  and  appreciable 
benefits,  and  the  assessments  shall  not,  in  any  case,  be  extended  over  any 
land,  lots  or  parts  of  the  said  West  Chicago  where  said  benefits  do  not  exist. 
No  assessment  for  boulevard  or  park  improvement  shall  be  made  until 
further  authorized  by  the  General  Assembly. 

Sec.  15.  For  the  expense  authorized  herein  for  surveys  and  for  any 
deficiencies  and  necessary  outlays  arising  and  required  in  the  condemnation 
aforesaid,  and  in  the  purchase  of  lands  and  property  for  the  purposes  herein 
specified,  and  for  the  payment  of  the  expenses  of  maintaining  and  improving 
the  said  boulevard  and  parks,  and  of  enclosing  the  same  when  deemed 
necessary,  and  for  draining  and  making  roadways  and  walks  upon  the  same, 
and  for  other  expenses,  disbursements,  and  changes  in  the  premises,  said 
commissioners  shall  have  power  to  borrow,  as  they  shall  deem  expedient,  an 
amount  of  money  not  exceeding  $50,000  in  the  aggregate,  and  for  a  time  not 
exceeding  three  years,  and  at  a  rate  of  interest  not  exceeding  ten  per  cent, 
per  annum,  and  to  issue  therefor  the  notes  or  obligations  of  the  said  corpor- 
ation, which  shall  be  numbered  consecutively  from  number  one,  and  shall 
be  signed  by  the  president  and  countersigned  by  the  secretary  of  said  board, 
and  shall  be  registered  accurately  and  minutely  in  a  register  which  shall  at 
all  times  be  open  for  the  examination  of  the  public,  and  no  note  or  obliga- 
tion made  as  aforesaid  shall  be  valid  for  an  amount  exceeding  the  sum 
remaining  of  said  $50,000  as  appears  by  said  register,  or  until  the  same  shall 
have  been  duly  registered  in  said  register.  For  the  payment  of  the  principal 
and  interest  of  said  notes  and  obligations,  the  town  of  West  Chicago  shall 
be  irrevocably  pledged,  and  also  the  proceeds  of  the  tax  hereinafter 
authorized. 

Sec.  16.  The  adoption  of  the  proposition  for  boulevard  and  parks  as 
hereinafter  specified,  shall  be  deemed  and  taken  to  be  the  consent  of  the  said 


xxii  Appendix. 

town  of  West  Chicago  to  the  imposition  of  an  annual  tax  of  one-half  of 
one  mill  for  boulevard  and  park  purposes,  as  hereinafter  provided.  It  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  clerk  of  the  county  court  of  Cook  county  to  set  down  in  the 
general  tax  warrants  ofeachyear,  forthe  collection  of  state  and  county  taxes,  in 
a  separate  column,  a  tax  of  one-half  of  one  mill,  to  be  styled  "  Boulevard  and 
Park  Tax,"  which  is  hereby  levied  upon  all  the  taxable  property  in  said  town 
of  West  Chicago,  and  shall  set  down  in  said  column  the  amount  of  said  tax 
chargeable  to  the  several  persons,  corporations,  lots,  or  parcels  of  land  liable 
for  taxes  in  said  town;  and  the  collector  shall  proceed  to  collect  the  same  in 
the  manner  now  provided  by  law  for  the  collection  of  state  and  county  taxes  ; 
and  all  the  provisions  of  law  in  respect  to  the  collection  of  state  and  county 
taxes,  and  proceedings  to  enforce  the  same,  so  far  as  applicable,  shall  apply 
to  said  assessments  and  taxes.  The  said  sums  of.money  shall  be  placed  by 
the  treasurer  of  said  county  of  Cook  to  the  credit  of  said  board,  and  shall 
be  drawn  by  said  board  from  the  county  treasury  by  a  warrant,  signed  by,  the 
president  and  secretary  of  said  board,  and  countersigned  by  the  auditor  to 
be  appointed  as  aforesaid,  and  in  no  other  way.  The  appointment  of  such 
auditor  shall  be  first  certified  by  such  president  and  secretary,  and  filed  in 
the  office  of  said  treasurer  of  Cook  county. 

Sec.  17.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  said  commissioners  to  vacate  and  close  up 
any  and  all  public  roads  or  highways,  excepting  railroads,  for  commercial 
purposes,  which  may  pass  through,  divide  or  separate  any  lands  selected  or 
appropriated  by  them  for  the  purposes  of  a  park,  and  no  such  road  shall 
ever  be  laid  out  through  said  park,  except  such  as  the  said  commissioners 
shall  lay  out  and  construct:  Provided,  however.,  that  neither  Lake  street, 
Madison  nor  Twelfth  streets,  nor  either  of  the  diagonal  avenues  or  roads 
leading  into  said  city,  nor  any  boulevard  nor  horse  railway  track  of  any 
person  or  corporation  now  authorized  to  make  the  same,  shall  be  closed 
under  the  provisions  of  this  section,  but  the  same  may  be  worked  and  con- 
trolled when,  and  so  far  as,  within  the  lines  of  either  of  said  parks,  by  the 
said  board,  but  without  interrupting  travel  over  the  same. 

Sec.  18.  The  said  commissioners,  or  either  of  them,  may  be  removed 
from  office  by  the  circuit  court  of  said  county,  after  trial  and  conviction, 
upon  the  petition,  with  sworn  charges,  presented  by  not  less  than  ten  repu- 
table freeholders  of  said  town  of  West  Chicago,  and  if  it  shall  appear  at 
said  trial  that  the  said  commissioner  or  commissioners  have  been  guilty  of 
misdemeanor  or  malfeasance  in  office  under  this  act;  and  if  the  said  court 
shall  remove  any  of  said  commissioners  from  office  for  any  such  cause, 
before  the  expiration  of  his  or  their  term  of  office,  the  clerk  of  said  court 
shall  certify  to  the  governor  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  under  the  seal  of  the 
court,  a  copy  of  the  final  judgment  of  removal.  The  president  and  secretary 
of  the  board  shall  certify  to  the  governor  all  other  vacancies  arising  or 
occurring  in  the  same  after  the  organization  thereof 

Sec.  19.  The  office  of  any  commissioner  under  this  act,  who  shall  not 
attend  meetings  of  the  board  for  three  successive  months,  after  having  been 
duly  notified  of  said  meetings,  without  reasons  satisfactory  to  the  board, 
or  without  leave  of  absence  from  said  board,  may,  by  said  board,  be 
declared,   and  thereupon  shall  become,  vacant. 


Appendix.  xxiiif 

Sec.  20.  There  shall  be  an  election  held  in  the  town  of  West  Chicago 
on  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  March  next,  after  the  passage  of  this  act  at  which 
election  the  legal  voters  voting  at  said  election  shall  vote  for  or  against  the 
creation  of  the  said  Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  the  laying  out  and 
making  of  said  boulevards  and  parks,  with  their  appurtenances,  the  addition 
of  said  sections  of  land  above  described  by  numbers,  to  said  city  and  town 
of  West  Chicago  and  the  extension  of  the  limits  thereof,  and  the  imposition 
of  the  tax  hereby  declared  to  be  levied,  at  which  all  legal  voters  residing  in 
the  said  added  territory  shall  have  the  right  to  vote.  The  tickets  shall  be 
printed  or  written  "For  the  Boulevards  and  Parks,"  and  "Against  the 
Boulevards  and  Parks,"  and  if  the  majority  of  the  votes  cast  on  the  question 
shall  be  "  For  the  Boulevards  and  Parks,"  then  the  propositions  in  the  first 
part  of  this  section  specified  shall  be  held  to  be  consented  to  and  voted  by 
the  said  town,  and  all  the  provisions  of  this  act  relating  thereto  shall  take 
effect  and  be  in  force,  with  the  other  provisions  of  this  act,  but  not  other- 
wise :  Provided,  hoivever,  That  there  shall  be  open  in  the  said  territory 
added  from  the  town  of  Jefferson,  at  the  house  of  Henry  Jewell,  known  as 
"  Powell's  Tavern,"  a  poll  for  the  casting  of  the  votes  of  said  last  mentioned 
territory  separately,  at  which  election  M.  N.  Kimbell,  John  F.  Powell  and 
John  Hise  shall  be  judges  of  election,  and  the  legal  voters  resident  therein 
on  the  tenth  (10)  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1869,  may  vote  for  "City  Exten- 
sion." and  "Against  City  Extension,"  and  '•  For  the  Boulevards  and  Parks," 
and  "  Against  the  Boulevards  and  Parks,"  and  if  a  majority  of  the  votes  so 
cast  shall  be  "  Against  City  Extension,"  and  "  Against  the  Boulevards  and 
Parks,"  then  the  territory  herein  taken  from  said  town  of  Jefferson,  shall  not 
become  a  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  or  of  the  town  of  W^est  Chicago,  nor 
shall  the  jurisdiction  of  said  city  be  extended  over  the  same,  but  the  same 
shall  remain  a  part  of  the  town  of  Jefferson,  the  same  as  if  this  act  had  not 
been  passed,  and  said  vote  shall  not  be  counted  with  or  affect  the  vote  cast  ^  ^ 
in  the  remaining  territory  embraced  in  this  act.  The  clerk  of  the  county 
court  of  Cook  county  shall,  exept  as  herein  otherwise  provided,  designate 
the  places  of  holding  such  election,  and  give  notice  thereof  in  three  or  more  1^0  U 

of  the  daily  newspapers  published  in  the  county  of  Cook,  at  least  ten  days 
preceding  such  election,  and  shall  supply  the  judges  thereof  with  the  j  V^  ^^\ 
necessary  books,  papers  and  boxes,  as  in  other  cases  of  elections ;  and  there 
shall  be  one  polling  or  voting  place  in  each  voting  district  in  said  town,  ^  .  JL 
as  the  same  were  fixed  at  the  last  general  election  in  the  county  of  Cook. 
The  persons  who  acted  as  judges  or  inspectors  of  election  in  the  several 
districts  of  said  town,  at  the  last  general  election  in  Cook  county, 
shall  be  the  judges  or  inspectors  of  this  election.  In  case  the  judges  or 
inspectors  of  election  shall  not  attend  at  the  time  for  opening  the 
polls,  such  judges  or  inspectors  shall  be  chosen  by  the  legal  voters 
present.  In  case  it  shall  be  necessary  to  do  so,  the  said  clerk  of  the  county 
court  shall  prescribe  districts  and  appoint  places  of  voting  in  the  added 
territory  aforesaid,  at  which  the  legal  voters  present  shall  choose  the  judges 
or  inspectors  of  election.  The  clerks  shall  be  appointed  as  provided  in 
elections  for  county  officers.      The  polls  shall   be  opened    and  closed  and 


M*ei 


X^iv  Appendix.      , 

the  election  conducted,  as  elections  for  county  officers.  All  legal  voters  of 
said  town  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  such  election,  without  any  registra- 
tion;  and  the  judges  or  inspectors  of  such  election  shall  use  the  registered 
list  made  for  the  general  election  in  November,  A.  D.  1868 :  and  where 
necessary  to  do  so,  said  county  clerk  shall  obtain  copies  of  such  registry  lists  of 
the  several  towns  from  which  the  said  added  territory  is  taken,  and  furnish 
them  in  due  time  at  the  place  or  places  where  the  vote  of  the  voters  of 
the  said  added  territory  shall  be  taken  :  Provided,  That  whenever  any 
person  whose  name  is  not  on  the  registry  list  shall  offer  his  vote  at  such 
election,  the  judges  or  inspectors  shall  require  the  same  evidence  of  his 
qualification  as  now  provided  by  law.  The  said  judges  of  election  shall 
immediately  after  the  close  of  the  polls,  count  the  ballots,  fill  out 
and  sign  the  returns  and  tally  sheets  as  now  provided  by  law  in  all  other 
elections,  and  return  the  poll  books  and  ballots  to  the  clerk  of  the  county 
court,  as  in  other  cases  of  election.  The  votes  shall  be  canvassed  in  the 
manner  provided  by  law  for  the  election  of  state  and  county  officers.  The 
clerk  of  the  county  court  of  Cook  county  shall,  immediately  after  such 
canvass,  cause  a  certificate  of  the  result  of  such  election  to  be  filed  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  which  shall  be  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
result  of  said  election. 

Sec.  21.  This  act  shall  be  deemed  a  public  act,  and  shall  be  in  force 
from  and  after  its  passage.  It  shall  be  liberally  construed  in  all  courts  and 
places,  and  all  acts  and  parts  of  acts  in  conflict  with  its  provisions  or  either 
of  them,  are  hereby  repealed. 


/ 


TO  BE   PrBLISUlCO  IN  APRIL   15V   S.  C.  GRIGGS  &  CO. 


The  Mississippi  Valley: 


ITS   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY, 


INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  TOPOGRAPHY.  BOTANY,  CLIMATE,  GEOLOGY, 

AND    MINERAL   RESOURCES,   AND    OF   THE   PROGRESS   OF 

DEVELOPMENT  IN    POPULATION  AND 

MATERIAL   WEALTH. 


By   J.   W.    FOSTER,    LL.   D., 

• 

President  of  the  American  Association  for  the  advancement  of  Science,  joint  author  of  "  Foster  & 

Whitney's  Report  on  the  Geology  of  the  Lake  Superior  Region,"  Lecturer  on 

Physical  Geography,  and  the  Cognate  Sciences  in  the 

University  of  Chicago,  &c.,  &c. 


Illustrated  by  Maps  ,\nd  Sections. 
One  Vokime,  Octavo:    Price,  $3.50. 


The  above  work  contains  the  results  of  a  life-time  spent  in  the  observation  and  investigation  of  the 
Physical  Phenomena  of  the  great  region  known  as  the  Mississippi  Valley,  including  the  Great  Lakes, 
its  descriptions  of  the  natural  features,  undeveloped  mineral  wealth,  varied  climatic  influences,  distribu- 
tion of  moisture  and  dryness,  and  general  characteristics,  its  minute  descriptions  of  the  routes  of  the 
various  Pacific  Railroads,  and  its  very  able  and  original  discussion  of  The  Origin  ok  the  Prairies, 
will  make  this  book  of  the  utmost  interest  and  importance  to  every  inhabitant  of  the  United  Slates, 
and  especially  of  the  West. 

A  writer,  in  the  "Evening  Post,"  who  has  had  access  to  the  proof  sheets,  says  nf  it:  "This 
work  contains  a  vast  range  of  information  in  every  department  of  science.  Every  page  evinces  that  the 
author  has  observed  extensively,  and  thought  profoundly  on  the  topics  of  which  he  v.rites.  Treated  in 
such  a  spirit.  Physical  Geography  becomes  one  of  the  most  interesting  subjects  of  knowledge.  It  is 
the  only  work  which  conveys  to  the  reader  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the  resources  of  the  Great  Valley, 
and  of  the  extent  to  which  they  can  be  expanded." 


S.  C.  GRIGGS  \:  CO..  Publisher.s, 

117  and  Ml)  State  St.,  Chicago 


